Page 8 The Skanner July 6, 2016
News
Feds Open Investigation Into Police Shooting
Alton Sterling, 37, was shot and killed Tuesday by Baton Rouge police
By Dr. Jasmine
Shanelle Streeter,
Veterinarian
For The Skanner
News
By MIKE KUNZELMAN
Associated Press
“
I have very serious con-
cerns. The video is disturb-
ing, to say the least
The chief did not disclose the race of the two oi-
cers, who have been placed on administrative leave,
standard department procedure.
Gov. John Bel Edwards and the U.S. Justice Depart-
ment announced that its civil rights division would
lead the investigation.
“I have very serious concerns. The video is dis-
turbing, to say the least,” Edwards said.
The shooting fueled anger and protests in Baton
Rouge, with community leaders and Sterling’s fam-
ily demanding a federal investigation and the iring
of the police chief.
“Mr. Sterling was not reaching for a weapon. He
looks like a man that was actually ighting for his
life,” said state Rep. Edmond Jordan, an attorney for
Sterling’s family.
In Washington, Justice Department spokesman
David Jacobs said the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s
oice in Louisiana will also take part in the inves-
tigation.
The Justice Department investigation will look
Y
AP PHOTO/GERALD HERBERT
BATON ROUGE, La.— The U.S. Justice Department
opened a civil rights investigation Wednesday into
the videotaped police killing of a Black man who au-
thorities say had a gun as he wrestled with oicers
on the pavement outside a convenience store.
Alton Sterling, 37, was confronted by police on
Tuesday ater an anonymous caller said he had
threatened someone with a gun outside the store
where he was selling homemade CDs, authorities
said.
In a cellphone video taken by a community activist
and posted online, two oicers had Sterling pinned
to the ground, and gunire erupted moments ater
someone yelled, “He’s got a gun! Gun!”
At a news conference Wednesday, Baton Rouge
Police Chief Carl Dabadie Jr. said that Sterling was
in fact armed but that there are still questions about
what happened.
“Like you, there is a lot that we do not understand.
And at this point, like you, I am demanding an-
swers,” Dababie said, calling the shooting a tragedy.
To Go or Not to Go:
Visiting the Dog Park
Nishka Johnson touches a makeshift memorial for Alton Sterling,
outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge, La., Wednesday.
Sterling was shot and killed by Baton Rouge police outside the
store where he was selling CDs.
into whether the oicers willfully violated Ster-
ling’s civil rights through the use of unreasonable
or excessive force.
Similar investigations, which oten take many
months, were opened following the deaths of Mi-
chael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Gar-
ner in New York.
Federal investigators must meet a high legal bur-
den to bring a civil rights prosecution, establishing
that an oicer knowingly used unreasonable force
under the circumstances and did not simply make
a mistake or use poor judgment. Many federal
probes conclude without criminal charges.
Quinyetta McMillon, the mother of Sterling’s
teenage son, trembled as she read a statement out-
side City Hall, where a few dozen protesters and
community leaders had gathered. Her son, Camer-
on, 15, broke down in tears and was led away as his
mother spoke.
She described Sterling as “a man who simply tried
to earn a living to take care of his children.
“The individuals involved in his murder took
away a man with children who depended upon
their daddy on a daily basis,” she said.
Jordan said police coniscated the store’s video
surveillance system, but he said the store owner is
conident the video shows the entire confrontation
and shooting. He said the cellphone video that was
posted online “certainly speaks for itself.”
“It’s a horrible thing. It’s a horrible thing to hap-
pen to him,” said Sterling’s aunt, Sandra Sterling.
“He didn’t deserve that.”
Read the rest of this story at TheSkanner.com
esterday
my
best
f r i e n d
called in-
quiring whether
he should take
his shy, spayed
female dog to
the dog park. He
told me he felt
bad that she had
never gone, and
wondered if she
Dr. Jasmine and her dog Sheba
was missing out
on the “Six Flags
ly or assertive dogs and
Amusement Park experi- may exhibit aggressive
ence” of the doggy world. or submissive behavior
Here are some consid- when cornered. Dogs
erations before visiting with known aggressive
the dog park.
tendencies, females in
Some dogs LOVE the heat and intact (un-neu-
dog park while others tered) male dogs should
could care less. Despite not be taken to dog parks,
what many believe, not since these encounters
all dogs are fans.
may result in ighting
My dog Sheba, for ex- or accidental breeding.
“
Choose a park with small and
large dog play areas or open
spaces for dogs to escape if
they feel threatened
ample, is more of a “peo-
ple person” than “dog
person” -- meaning when
she is around other dogs
she immediately goes for
the humans, leaving the
pups disappointed. (She
also sits on park benches
while at the park and re-
fuses to play catch unless
she’s indoors, but that’s
another story.)
Age and health are
important factors. Dog
parks contain a larger
density of pathogens and
internal/external par-
asites than other open
spaces. Viral transmis-
sion such as inluenza,
parvovirus and distem-
per can spread quickly
with animals making
frequent
nose-to-nose
contact.
Puppies that have not
completed their full set
of vaccines, dogs that
are completely unvacci-
nated, immunocompro-
mised and sick or injured
animals should not be
taken to dog parks. An-
imals recovering from
major or minor surgery
should not return to the
dog park until they are
fully recovered to avoid
re-injury.
Dog parks with numer-
ous feces iles, stagnant
water, mud or a stench
should always be avoid-
ed due to sanitation con-
cerns.
Dogs
should
be
matched in tempera-
ment if possible. Shy
dogs may not fare well
with extremely friend-
It is appropriate to in-
form another owner that
your dog does not want
to interact with their
dog if you feel your dog
is threatened, irritated,
frightened or uninter-
ested.
Dogs should also be
matched in size. Choose a
park with small and large
dog play areas or open
spaces for dogs to escape
if they feel threatened.
Placing a Chihuahua in
a pen with a young great
dane or lab could lead to
injuries if the dogs play
too roughly or fall. Herd-
ing and hunting breeds
should be watched close-
ly and discouraged from
exhibiting displays of
ield behavior in the park
(herding, nipping or ex-
cessive baying), which
may disturb, frighten or
irritate other dogs.
Overall dog parks serve
a purpose: to socialize
and exercise pets that
may not otherwise get
the opportunity. Some
dog parks are amazing –
others, not so much. Pup-
py play dates with friend-
ly, familiar animals of
known health status are
a safe way to enrich and
socialize your pet.
At the end of the day,
you have to choose what
works for you and your
pet, and it may be as easy
as a walk in the park.
Do you have a pet topic
you’d like to learn more
about? I’d love to hear
from you! Write me at
drjasmine@theskanner.
com.