Jeremy Lin Reflects 'Alton Sterling Video Makes me Sick'
NBA star Jeremy Lin is among those expressing grave disbelief based on the early footage made public in connection with the killing of Alton Sterling at the hands of Louisiana police.
"Foreal though wth?!?," Lin tweeted in response to the senseless, broad day killing of the 37-year-old Sterling outside a convenience store where he was peddling CDs on the morning of July 5.
"The Alton Sterling video makes me sick... it's getting out of control," he added, alongside the hashtags BlackLives Matter and Thisworldneedsprayer."
Foreal though wth?!? The #AltonSterling video makes me sick...its gettin out of control!! #blacklivesmatter #thisworldneedsprayer
— Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) July 6, 2016
Video shows Sterling being tackled and pinned to the ground by two white officers who were reportedly summoned to the area by reports of a man with a gun.
Store Owner Insists he Witnessed Whole Incident
Store owner Abdullah Mulfai later told reporters he witnessed the entire incident, including seeing police remove a gun from the victim's pocket after the incident was over. He stressed he never saw the man he has known for years aim his weapon at police or reach for his pocket during their brief confrontation.
According to Mulfai, the gun carried by Sterling was never visible during the entire incident.
Sterling's cousin, Sharida Sterling, later added the man she considered as close to her as a brother "would never have fought with police" or menaced them in any way because he was simply too fearful of them.
Meanwhile, outrage quickly spread based on the picture painted by the early video.
Protests, Outrage Mounting
Black Lives Matter activist Deray McKesson was riveted by how easily police were able to strike with such deadly force and comedian D.L. Hughely reflected how authorities always seem to use video against suspects they insist tells the whole story but when the tables are turned such evidence never seems to be enough.
With tensions running high and protests already forming around the scene of the shooting, the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division is now investigating.
Though authorities have vowed to conduct a complete and transparent probe, there are already cries for the mayor and police chief to resign. The officers involved, Blane Salamini and Howie Lake 11, have been placed on administrative leave.
A preliminary autopsy listed Sterling's cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and back.
Mulfai insists every one of those gunshots and the entire incident should have been captured on the store's surveillance cameras, which he adds have since been confiscated by police.
He added before opening fire on Sterling the officers used a stun gun on him. In the six years he knew him, he insisted he never once saw Sterling involved in an altercation with anyone around the store, adding that he had long ago given him permission to sell his wares on his property.
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