Family of Black man killed by police in 2016 accepts $4.5 million settlement
The family of a Louisiana man killed by police in 2016 has accepted a $4.5 million settlement from the city of Baton Rouge, according to reports — bringing closure to one of the more prominent cases at the forefront of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Alton Sterling was shot and killed five years ago during a struggle with two police officers who confronted the 37-year-old Black man for selling homemade CDs outside a local convenience store.
Officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II wrestled Sterling to the ground, and moments later, Salamoni fatally shot Sterling six times.
Salamoni was later fired, and Lake, who did not discharge his service weapon, was suspended. Neither was charged criminally after state and federal investigations.
Bystanders who witnessed the shooting recorded cellphone video that quickly spread on social media, leading to widespread protests in the city’s Black community and around the nation.
Sterling’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit the following year that named the city along with the police department, former police chief and the two officers involved.
The legal action claimed Baton Rouge police engaged in a pattern of racism and excessive force, and that poor training and inadequate police procedures in particular contributed to Sterling’s death.
Last Friday, the Sterling family issued a statement confirming acceptance of the settlement after news outlets reported that court documents showed they had moved to have the civil rights lawsuit dismissed last month.
“This settlement, which was reached through hard work and collaboration between attorneys for Mr. Sterling’s family and the Baton Rouge City Council, will allow the city to heal and provide a pathway for Mr. Sterling’s children to be provided for financially,” said the statement issued through the family’s attorneys. It also expressed hope that reforms implemented by the department will prevent future deaths.
The agreement will pay $1 million upfront to Sterling’s children from East Baton Rouge Parish’s insurance reserve funds, WBRZ-TV reported, with the remaining money being paid in equal installments over the next four years.
The initial funds will be allocated from the city-parish’s Insurance Reserve Fund, with the remaining payments pulled from the annual operating budget.
The settlement had been approved earlier this year by the Metro Council for Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish.
Last September, the Metro Council rejected a $5 million settlement offer by the family after its 12 members failed to secure the seven votes needed to approve the civil claim.
“As a community, we must work together to implement changes in policy and in our community to ensure that no other families in Baton Rouge will endure this loss, trauma, or heartbreak,” Mayor Sharon Broome said in her statement Friday.
Information provided by The Associated Press was used to compile this report.
About the Author
ArLuther Lee is a visual editor and occasionally covers national and world news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from The University of Florida and has been a journalist for more than 25 years.
