Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Thursday, July 7, 2016

New US police shooting in Minnesota as protests continue in Baton Rouge


Footage shows the aftermath of the shooting in St PaulImage copyrightFACEBOOK
Image captionFootage shows the aftermath of the shooting

by Alyssa Mann and Biodun Iginla, BBC Newsbeat, Baton Rouge/Minneapolis
A black man has been shot dead by police in the US state of Minnesota as protests continued over the police killing of a black man in Louisiana.
Philando Castile was shot in his car as he reached for his driving licence, his girlfriend said in a Facebook Live video taken during the aftermath.
It follows the death of Alton Sterling, who was shot dead by police during an incident in Baton Rouge on Tuesday.
Hundreds of people have protested for two nights over Mr Sterling's killing.
The deaths follows a long line of high-profile incidents involving African-Americans at the hands of the police, igniting a national debate about the lethal use of force.
The footage taken by Mr Castile's girlfriend in Falcon Heights, a suburb of St Paul, shows Mr Castile covered in blood next to her and a police officer outside the car pointing his gun at him.
Mr Castile had earlier told the officer that he was licensed to carry a concealed gun and had one in his possession, she said.
"You shot four bullets into him, sir. He was just getting his license and registration, sir," the woman, identified in local media reports as Diamond Reynolds, says.
Police said an investigation was under way.
Media captionPinned down and shot in Louisiana
In Baton Rouge, hundreds of people gathered for a second night of protests at the shop where Alton Sterling, 37, was killed on Tuesday.
Some demonstrators chanted "Black lives matter" and called for justice.
A video emerged on Wednesday that showed the altercation between Mr Sterling and two police officers.
It appears to show Mr Sterling being held down and then shot several times, although some shots are heard when the camera moves away from the confrontation.
Seconds later, one of the officers is seen removing an object from the man's trousers as he lies on the ground with blood on his chest.
Media captionArthur Reed : "We are not anti-police, we are anti-injustice"
Police have said Mr Sterling was found to be armed. Officers were initially called because of a 911 report of a man brandishing a gun.
The was provided to the Daily Beast by the shop owner, Abdullah Muflahi, who said it proves the man was no threat to the officers when he was shot.

Protests in Baton RougeImage copyrightAP
Image captionCameron Sterling, 15, was comforted by friends over his father's death

'There is real anger' - Laura Bicker, BBC News, Baton Rouge

The cry is for justice, but most of those here say it's not something they expect. They distrust the police, they say they fear all authority and they've gathered at this street corner where Alton Sterling was killed to stand together and say "no more".
They've prayed, they've sung, they've cried and they've danced. An artist has spray-painted Mr Sterling's face on the side of the convenience store. Others lit candles and released balloons.
It has been peaceful, but there is real anger here and at times almost despair.
It's not just about the death of one man. There are some who feel that the fight for equality might be one that they will never win.

Mr Sterling, a father of five, died at the scene and hours later a video filmed by a bystander which showed his death was released.
The officers involved, Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II, were put on administrative leave.
The US Department of Justice has launched a civil rights investigation and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has appealed for calm.

US police violence

1,152
people killed by police in 2015
  • 30% of victims were black
  • 13% of US population is black
  • 97% of deaths were not followed by any charges against police officers
Getty Images

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