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No State Charges Filed In Alton Sterling Shooting Death

Louisiana's attorney general announced no criminal charges will be brought against two Baton Rouge police officers who shot and killed Alton Sterling.
Posted at 12:56 PM, Mar 27, 2018

Louisiana's attorney general is not pressing criminal charges against two Baton Rouge police officers in the shooting death of Alton Sterling. 

Sterling was shot and killed by police outside a convenience store in 2016. Officers reportedly got a call saying a person matching Sterling's description threatened someone with a gun. Police pinned Sterling to the ground, then shot him multiple times. They reported that Sterling had a gun in his pocket. 

State investigators looked into the case after the U.S. Justice Department announced last year there wasn't enough evidence to warrant civil rights charges against the two officers. 

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said the state based its decision off both the local and federal investigations.  

Sterling's children filed a wrongful death lawsuit in 2017, alleging the shooting violated their father's civil rights and that it fits a pattern of racism and excessive force within the Baton Rouge Police Department. 

Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN