Funeral services were held today for Alton Sterling, and thousands of mourners came out to stand in unity with the family and demand justice for Sterling. Halen Doughty has more…
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Candidates for the US Senate seat being vacated by David Vitter are already in the race to raise campaign funds. Michelle Southern has more…
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State Police say a Calhoun man died in a fiery crash after driving the wrong way down Interstate 20 near Monroe last night. Senior Trooper Michael Reichardt says 31-year-old Christopher Moss crossed the median for unknown reasons and smashed into a big rig.
Reichardt says they are unsure why Moss crossed the median and if he was wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash. He says both the driver and the passenger in the 18-wheeler were properly restrained.
A pedestrian was also killed in Monroe last night. Trooper Michael Reichardt says 53-year-old Matthew Davis was struck and killed as he was trying to cross US Hwy 165 at a busy intersection.
As of yet, no charges have been filed in either accident.
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Thousands gathered today at the Southern University F.G. Clark Activity Center for Alton Sterling’s funeral service. People came from around the country, some to show support for the family and others calling for justice. Jack Turner with the Revolution Club in Atlanta says he came to the service because there is an epidemic of police shootings.
Barry Davison of Baton Rouge says he came to support the family during this difficult time. He is hopeful something positive will come out of this tragedy.
A woman who bought CDs from Sterling outside the convenience store where he was shot was also present. She says Sterling was a really nice guy, and she was hurt when she heard the news of what happened. She says something has to change to put an end to the violence.
Dr. Gary Clark is a professor at Dillard University in New Orleans who grew up in Baton Rouge. Clark says people must come together to bring about changes that prevent incidents like this from occurring. He hopes reform in police departments will become a political platform for national leadership.
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There was another police shooting today. Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand says his deputies were involved in a high speed chase early this morning after spotting a vehicle linked to a number of car burglaries. He says one of his deputies fired shots at 40-year-old Melissa Belanger, who was using her vehicle as a weapon.
Normand says they believe Belanger has a drug addiction and was using the money from robbing cars to feed her habit. He says once officers shot at Belanger, she continued to drive off but eventually exited the vehicle screaming about gunshot wounds on her wrists and will be charged when she is released from the hospital.
Normand says they are working to get additional warrants and the investigation is ongoing. He says the fact that Belanger tried to run over the officer with her vehicle justifies the use of force by the deputy.
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Republicans are leading in campaign fundraising for the US Senate race for the seat being vacated by David Vitter. ULM political science professor Dr. Joshua Stockley says US Representative Charles Boustany had the best recent fundraising period with $1.1 million raised and $2.5 million in the bank.
US Representative John Fleming reports $2.4 million in his campaign cofers and State Treasurer John Kennedy has a total of $1.4 million in the bank. Stockley says Kennedy’s name recognition will give him an advantage over the other two GOP candidates.
Stockley says the Democratic fundraising at this point is unimpressive. Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell is leading after raising $499-thousand in the last quarter, reporting $868-thousand in the bank. Caroline Fayard brought in $273-thousand with $634-thousand total on hand. Stockley says the Democrats got off to a late start in fundraising, and they are essentially splitting the available campaign dollars from democratic donors.
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Stockley says we’re still in the quiet period of the election, and he suspects these fundraising totals are just scratching the surface of what we’ll see in September and October.
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