Alton Sterling Baton Rouge Shooting: Vigil Held After Reports Say Officers Won’t Be Charged

A crowd gathered Tuesday outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where a black man was fatally shot by police officers last July. A vigil was held for Alton Sterling after multiple reports, citing sources, said the officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II — involved in his shooting —would not be facing federal civil rights charges due to lack of evidence.

The Justice Department launched a civil rights investigation into Sterling’s shooting, which was captured on a mobile phone video and triggered Black Lives Matter protests in the city. The video showed the 37-year-old being shot dead after an altercation with Salamoni and Lake II outside the convenience store. The officers had responded to the scene after receiving a call claiming Sterling had threatened the caller with a gun.

Read: Police Shootings Can Be Recorded With Gun Cameras

Following the shooting, Salamoni and Lake II were placed on administrative leave. The two had "use of force" complaints against them, and latest records showed they were cleared in each case, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Reports about the latest development came Tuesday, but the Justice Department is yet to make an announcement on the fate of Salamoni and Lake II.

"The Governor's Office has not been notified of a timeline or decision regarding the Alton Sterling investigation. We have been in constant contact with the U.S. Attorney's Office and were assured that both our office and the Sterling family would be given advance notice," Richard Carbo, a spokesperson for Gov. John Bel Edwards, said, according to the AP.

Sterling’s family was reportedly not informed about the decision.

"It's been almost a year and we're still suffering like it happened yesterday," Veda Washington-Abusaleh, Sterling's aunt said at Tuesday’s vigil. "We need closure. We need a conviction. We need justice."

Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome said Tuesday she was "appalled" the Sterling family and her office were not informed about the decision.

"I am appalled that this news, whether true or false, has been disseminated without a formal decision being relayed to the Sterling family first. Also, no one in my office or the governor's office has been notified by the U.S. Attorney's office of a decision or timeline," Weston Broome said. "As I've said before, when I know something, the people of Baton Rouge will know — and we will get through it together."

Law enforcement sources told NBC News the decision to not charge the officers was made by career investigators and prosecutors. The report noted that bringing federal charges in such cases is difficult because the law requires proving deliberate wrongdoing.

However, Rashad Robinson, executive director of the advocacy group Color of Change, held Attorney General Jeff Sessions responsible for the decision.

"There is no way to misinterpret the message that Jeff Sessions sent today: Black lives do not matter," Robinson said, according to NBC News.

The lack of federal charges however does not mean Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II can't be charged on a state level, according to the Los Angeles Times. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry's office had said in the past it would examine the evidence to see if state charges were warranted. There has been no comment from his office however following the reported decision not to federally charge the officers.

Sterling's death triggered widespread protests in Baton Rouge. About 200 protesters were reportedly arrested during the demonstrations. The arrests resulted in federal lawsuits accusing police of using excessive force and breaching protesters' civil rights.