Advertisement State investigation to begin after DOJ probe in Alton Sterling death ends in no charges Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said his office will begin a state investigation into the fatal shooting of Alton Sterling on July 5 in Baton Rouge.Landry issued a statement Wednesday after the U.S. Department of Justice officially announced it will not bring charges against the two Baton Rouge police officers involved in Sterling's death."The U.S. DOJ’s review of this matter was to determine violations of federal law, specifically, federal civil rights laws. To date, this matter has not been investigated or reviewed for possible violations of the Louisiana criminal code," Landry said in a statement.U.S. Attorney Corey Amundson said that the investigation into Sterling's death couldn't prove that the officers acted unreasonably and willfully.State and local leaders called for the Justice Department to begin an investigation after Sterling's death. The shooting was reported outside the Triple S Food Mart at Fairfields Avenue and North Foster Drive. Baton Rouge police said someone called just after 12:30 a.m. that day to report a man with a gun threatening someone outside the store.Sterling was selling CDs outside the store, when two Baton Rouge officers arrived to investigate the 911 call. The encounter escalated when Sterling and the officers got into a fight that left him on the ground. He was shot while the officers were on top of him.Landry said the DOJ investigation and evidence collected has not been released to his office. He said the state's investigation was stalled until the federal investigation was completed."Therefore, this matter now needs to be investigated for possible state criminal violations," Landry said.The attorney general said he instructed the DOJ to hand over its investigation to the Louisiana State Police, which will lead the state investigation. Landry said a prosecutor from the Louisiana Department of Justice will assist state police."A thorough and complete investigation could take a considerable amount of time. As such, we ask for patience from the public and the press," Landry said.Keep up with local news, weather and current events with the WDSU app here. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news right in your inbox. Click here to sign up!