BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – The 37-year-old man killed by Baton Rouge police was a good-humored person nicknamed “Big Boy” who was orphaned young, loved children and earned a living selling CDs of music downloaded from the internet, said family and friends who knew him.
The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the video-recorded killing of Alton Sterling, a black man who police say had a gun as he wrestled with two white officers outside a convenience store. The shooting as well as two video recordings of the incident have sparked outcry at a time when law enforcement officers nationwide are being carefully watched for their use of force.
As officials scrambled to defuse the quickly escalating situation, family and friends mourned Sterling.
Quinyetta McMillon, the mother of Sterling’s teenage son, trembled as she read a statement outside City Hall. Her son, Cameron, 15, broke down in tears and was led away sobbing as his mother spoke.
“The individuals involved in his murder took away a man with children who depended upon their daddy on a daily basis,” she said.