The FBI has issued a warning to law enforcement agencies in Baton Rouge and Shreveport to be on the lookout for peaceful protests in the next few days. Governor John Bel Edwards reiterated during a press conference that there have been no credible threats made against law enforcement. Edwards says there are protests planned for this weekend, and he insists that violence is not the answer.
Cut 23 (11) “…will happen”
State Police Col Mike Edmonson says police have been investigating riot threats that have been made on social media and asks the public to be on the lookout for suspicious activity. He says they are working on race relations between law enforcement and the public. He says in order for people to respect authorities, they have to be able to trust them. He says that starts with transparency and communication.
CUT 5 (06) “individual effort”
As more videos surface of the fatal police shooting of Alton Sterling, people are asking if lethal force was necessary. LSU Criminal Law Professor Ken Levy says police did have reason to believe that Sterling was armed, but just having a gun doesn’t give police the right to shoot. He says given the position Sterling was in, officers could not have reasonably believed that he posed a threat to them.
Levy says from watching the videos, he believes a manslaughter charge is warranted here.
Governor Edwards is asking that the public give the Department of Justice time to conduct its investigation into Sterling’s shooting. The governor says this investigation team is extremely professional and there will be no leaks of information.
Edwards says we’re now going to have a renewed focus on training and retraining police officers.