Alton Sterling Police Shooting: Family Sues City

BATON ROUGE, LA — Relatives of a black man who was gunned down by a white police officer in Louisiana's capital are suing the city, claiming the shooting fit a pattern of racist behavior and excessive force by its police force.

Attorneys for Alton Sterling's five children filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday in state court against the city of Baton Rouge, its police department and police chief and the two officers involved in last July's deadly encounter.

The Justice Department investigated Sterling's shooting and announced last month that it will not file charges against either officer. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

The family's lawsuit claims Officer Blane Salamoni's shooting of Sterling was the product of poor training and inadequate police procedures.

Two cellphone videos of the July 5 shooting quickly spread on social media, setting off nightly protests.

By Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press

Photo credit: Gerald Herbert, Associated Press