Bloody Alton Sterling Death Footage Contradicts Cops' Account
Aug. 31 2016, Updated 1:28 p.m. ET
*WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT*
A shocking new video has been released that shows cop shooting victim Alton Sterling was not holding a gun in his hand when police officers fired bullets into his chest at close-range.
A 9-1-1 call placed Tuesday night claimed a man at a store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana was threatening people with a gun. Officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake arrived at the Triple S Food Mart where they saw Sterling in the parking lot.
Store owner Abdullah Muflahi shot the video of the officers pinning Sterling to the ground. He told The Daily Beast that he told the officers that Sterling was not the man threatening patrons with the gun.
In the video one of the officers yells "He's got a gun!" as they have Sterling pinned to the ground. The video continues and an officer is also heard yelling, "Don't f**king move, I swear to God."
The officer closest to the cellphone's lens is seen drawing his gun and pointing it at Sterling's head. Both officers are holding Sterling down as a series of shots are fired. One officer rolls back as Sterling is seen lying on his back with blood seeping out of his chest.
Sterling's left arm is moving over his head and his right arm is out to his side while he bleeds on the ground. An officer (not the one who had rolled back) is seen taking something out of Sterling's right pocket. It is unclear what the object is.
By the time paramedics arrived, Sterling was dead.
At a press conference on Wednesday the police would not confirm or deny a weapon was recovered from Sterling.
Salamoni and Lake were placed on paid administrative leave as an investigation was launched.
"The officers feel they were completely justified," District Attorney Hillar C. Moore III told reporters. A Justice Department investigation has begun into the shooting.
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Meanwhile, outrage has erupted across the nation.
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