title:  WATCH: Video Shows Baton Rouge Cops Repeatedly Shooting A Black Man Point Blank In The Chest
text: Shortly after midnight Tuesday morning, 37-year-old Alton Sterling was standing outside a Triple S Food Mart in Baton Rouge selling music CDs when the police responded to a call that he had threatened someone with a gun. The police have yet to say if a gun was found at the scene (although a witness claims the police removed one from his pocket) but we do have a video showing the police throwing Sterling to the ground, pinning him and then shooting him several times while yelling about a gun that is never seen in the video. The entire scene was caught on camera by some bystanders and the community is furious at what appears to be yet another black man unnecessarily killed by white cops.Warning. This video contains graphic violence:While the police were  forced  to tackle Sterling, once they wrestled him to the ground, he puts up little struggle. Considering how big he is (he appears to be about at least 6 feet tall and well over 200 pounds), if he was resisting, one would expect a lot more movement. And when the cops pull their guns on him, it s not all clear that Sterling was in any position to shoot them.Amazingly, the officers involved were given time to get their stories straight:In a statement, Baton Rouge Police Cpl. L Jean McKneely Jr. said two officers  have been placed on administrative leave per standard procedure,  though it is believed that only one officer fired shots.The officers have not been named. Our guys will most likely review the video tomorrow,  McKneely told The Washington Post in an email Tuesday night. We give officers normally a day or so to go home and think about it  before being interviewed, McKneely told the Advocate.It s good to be a cop in America.The police are almost certain to claim that Sterling was  reaching  for a gun but an eyewitness is already disputing this. Abdullah Muflahi, the owner of the Triple S, said the police clearly had a chip on their shoulder when they confronted Sterling and there was no reason to pull their guns and shoot him:Muflahi told the Advocate, His hand was nowhere [near] his pocket,  and that Sterling was not holding a weapon.Then, Muflahi said that the officer who fired the shots began cursing and that both seemed to be  freaking out. Finally, the store owner said he heard one of the officers say,  Just leave him. Muflahi said he saw police retrieve a gun from Sterling s pocket after the shooting. Just leave him.  There s that compassion and humanity for minorities that American law enforcement is known for.Unfortunately, Sterling had a criminal record that included  aggravated battery, domestic abuse, possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute and illegally carrying a weapon with a controlled dangerous substance  so there is literally no chance the cops involved will face any kind of justice even if the security tape from the store shows Sterling s hand nowhere near his pocket at any time.Featured image via twitter