Two Baton Rouge, La., cops will not be charged with the July 2016 killing of Alton Sterling outside a convenience store that provoked outrage and nationwide protests, the state's top prosecutor said Tuesday.
Sterling's family had met with Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry on Tuesday before he announced the decision not to charge the pair.
Officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II responded to the Triple S Food Mart about a 911 call that someone was threatening people outside with a gun on July 5, 2016.
The officers' actions were "well founded and reasonable," Landry told reporters Tuesday.
They encountered Sterling, 37, who regularly sold bootleg CDs outside the convenience store. Sterling was black and both officers are white.
Salamoni fatally shot Sterling during an ensuing scuffle. Lake didn't discharge his weapon, but helped wrestle Sterling to the ground.
Toxicology reports showed Sterling had "scheduled and illegal" substances in his system, Landry said Tuesday.
"It is reasonable that Mr. Sterling was under the influence and that contributed to his non-compliance," Landry said.
Body camera and surveillance video haven't been released, but cellphone video of the encounter went viral.
Almost 200 people were arrested in the protests that followed the killing.
The officers dodged federal civil rights charges in May 2017 after a lengthy Justice Department investigation.
Salamoni screamed that Sterling was reaching for a gun before he shot the man three times, the DOJ concluded, plus three more when he started to move again. Lake also used a Taser in a bid to bring him down.
Cops later found a loaded revolver in his pocket, according to the Justice Department.
Footage from the scene never showed Sterling reaching for the gun.
Sterling's five children filed a civil suit against the police department in June 2017 that painted a different picture.
They accused Salamoni of telling their father "b__ I will f_-ing kill you" and "I am going to shoot you in your motherf_-ing head" ahead of the struggle.
Use of force complaints against both officer were also regularly ignored and the lawmen weren't properly trained to handle the situation, the lawsuit claimed.
Baton Rouge's police department was also accused of allowing racism within the department, as officers referred to black people as "animals" and "heathens."
Demonstrations remained strong after Sterling's death, which came a day before the police shooting of Philando Castile in suburban Minneapolis.
Castile, a school cafeteria worker and licensed gun owner, was fatally shot during a traffic stop by St. Anthony Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez, who said the victim was reaching for his gun.
A jury acquitted Yanez last summer.
