NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Attorneys for the children of Alton Sterling, a Black man fatally shot by a Baton Rouge police officer in 2016, said a decision by local officials against offering $5 million to settle a pending civil case showed they were uninformed about the matter.
The Easton Baton Rouge Metro Council fell a vote short of approval Wednesday. Sterling was killed in a struggle with two officers outside a convenience store in July 2016.
In 2017, lawyers for Sterling’s five children filed a wrongful death civil suit against the city, its police department and others.
Attorney Chris Stewart said he was surprised by the Metro Council’s decision, calling council members misinformed.