1 officer dismissed from Alton Sterling wrongful death suit

FILE – In this July 5, 2016, image made from video provided by Arthur Reed, Alton Sterling, in red, is restrained by two Baton Rouge police officers, one holding a gun, outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge, La. Moments later, one of the officers shot and killed Sterling, a black man who had been selling CDs outside the store, while he was on the ground. Howie Lake II, a white Louisiana police officer who assisted in the arrest in which Sterling was fatally shot, was dismissed Monday, Sept. 21, 2020, from a wrongful death lawsuit. (Arthur Reed via AP, File)

by: Associated Press

Posted: Sep 23, 2020 / 06:30 AM AST

Updated: Sep 23, 2020 / 06:30 AM AST

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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A white Louisiana police officer who assisted in the arrest in which Alton Sterling was fatally shot has been dismissed from a wrongful death lawsuit.

The Advocate reports a judge dismissed Howie Lake II from the case Monday. Lake used a stun gun on Sterling, a 37-year-old Black man, and helped wrestle him to the ground during the 2016 encounter in Baton Rouge but didn’t fire his gun.

Former officer Blane Salamoni shot Sterling. Sterling’s family sued the city, its police department and former police chief and the officers.

Lake’s attorney argued there was nothing Lake could’ve done to prevent the shooting. The suit is set for trial in 2021.