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Protesters turn out to vigil at site of deadly officer-involved shooting

7 years 8 months 3 weeks ago Wednesday, July 06 2016 Jul 6, 2016 July 06, 2016 3:22 PM July 06, 2016 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - After a morning that included an emotional appearance by Alton Sterling's family along with comments from Baton Rouge Police and Governor John Bel Edwards, a vigil was held at the site of Tuesday night's shooting.

The vigil for 37-year-old Alton Sterling, killed in an early morning officer-involved shooting, is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. outside of the Triple S convenience store where the man was shot to death by BRPD officers.

As of 2 p.m., a large crowd had already begun to gather outside of the store, located at 2112 North Foster Drive in Baton Rouge. 

Within an hour, a protest formed outside of the convenience store. However, Wednesday afternoon's protests would remain peaceful with at least one attendee creating a mural of Sterling on the side of the store. 

Witness video showed two officers wrestle Sterling against a car and then to the ground after they responded to reports that he had a gun. The owner of the store told WBRZ that he saw the two officers use a Taser on Sterling in order to subdue him, however he continued to resist. Officers then shot Sterling while pinned to the ground after they said he reached for the gun in his possession.

The video of the incident has sparked major public outcry and multiple press conferences were held on the matter on Wednesday including one held with members of Sterling's family, the family's attorney along with community activists and leaders.

At the press conference, the mother of Sterling's 15-year-old son, Quinyetta McMillon, described Sterling as "a man who was simply trying to earn a living to take care of his children."

"He was killed without the regard of the lives that he helped raise," McMillon said.

A digital flyer circulating on social media includes a schedule for the coming days that also includes a Thursday sign making and information meeting the LSU African American Cultural Center and a protest on Sunday at the BRPD office on Plank Road.

The ACLU of Louisiana also announced an event in the area via Twitter.

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