"This settlement should send a message to all law enforcement agencies," William Most, attorney for the plaintiffs, told WAFB-TV Thursday. "If you won’t hold your officers accountable, we will."
The state of Louisiana will pay a $1.17M settlement that was approved in the 2016 Alton Sterling protest lawsuit.
The 2017 lawsuit states the 14 plaintiffs — two of whom were identified as journalists — attended the July 10, 2016, protest in downtown Baton Rouge when they were arrested for allegedly obstructing a highway or public passageway.
Widespread protests occurred following the fatal shooting of Sterling, a 37-year-old Black man, who was shot six times by a white Baton Rouge police officer outside a convenience store. The deadly interaction was caught on cellphone video. The officer was never charged.
In 2021 the Metro Council approved of a $4.5 million settlement to Sterling’s children.