BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – A trial date has been set in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the children of Alton Sterling, a black man killed by a white police officer in Louisiana’s capital city.
Attorneys for Sterling’s children said Tuesday that trial in the civil lawsuit will begin April 20, 2020.
Sterling’s family sued the city of Baton Rouge, its police department and former police chief and the two officers involved in the deadly encounter. The June 2017 lawsuit says the shooting fit a pattern of racist behavior and excessive force by police.
Officer Blane Salamoni shot Sterling six times during a July 2016 struggle outside a Baton Rouge convenience store. The Justice Department and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry’s office ruled out criminal charges. Salamoni was fired by Baton Rouge’s police chief.
