On Wednesday (February 10), the East Baton Rouge Metro Council in Louisiana passed a $4.5 million settlement for the family of Alton Sterling, who was fatally shot by police in 2016.
According to ABC News, the settlement was approved by city council members in a vote of 7-4 after Sterling’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Baton Rouge Police Department and the city of Baton Rouge.
Following the settlement, Baton Rouge’s Mayor Sharon Weston Broome tweeted, “I am pleased our metro council was able to find a consensus and approve an offer of settlement in the Alton Sterling civil case. After nearly five years, the people of Baton Rouge are finally one step close to getting much needed closure in this traumatic episode in our history.”
The council had rejected a $5 million settlement for the family last November. At the time, the proposal needed just one more vote to get the seven needed to pass the measure on the 12-member council.
“Now we must continue the work of building a more fair and equitable community, where every citizen is treated justly, no matter their race or ethnicity,” Broome continued in her post.
Sterling was killed on July 5, 2016 after two white police officers responded to a 911 call about a man selling CDs outside of a local convenience store.
Blane Salamoni, who fired the fatal shot that killed Sterling, was terminated from the police department in 2018, two years after Sterling’s death.
Video of Sterling’s death was circulated on social media and sparked national protests.
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