The head of the International Union of Police Associations is questioning the claim by Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul that his decision to fire officer Blane Salamoni for his actions during the 2016 fatal shooting of Alton Sterling was not based on politics.
In a statement issued today, IUPA President Sam Cabral says Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome publicly called on the police department to fire Salamoni and Howie Lake II, the other officer involved in the shooting, and likely influenced Paul, whom she hired.
“Very publicly, Mayor Broome called for officer Salamoni’s termination, long before either of the two independent investigations had been completed,” Cabral says. “Chief Murphy (Paul) was hired by the mayor and certainly is expected to follow her direction. This termination is just that.”
Paul, in a statement this afternoon, reiterated his decision was not influenced by politics. “My findings were based on a review of the facts presented in the disciplinary hearing,” he says.
Broome’s office did not comment in time for this afternoon’s publication deadline, saying the mayor was in meetings.
The shooting took place outside the Triple S Food Mart on North Foster Drive on July 5, 2016. The officers, both of whom are white, went to the store in response to a 911 call about a black man in a red shirt waving a gun. The incident—captured on video that would go viral—sparked protests in Baton Rouge.
Paul announced last week he was firing Salamoni, who shot Sterling six times, for violating department protocol and suspending Lake for three days. Paul said dismissing Salamoni was the right thing to do.
The announcement came just days after Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said his office would not charge either officer for Sterling’s death. Some 11 months earlier, the U.S. Justice Department announced it would not seek federal criminal civil rights charges against the officers.
The reaction to Paul’s decision has been mixed, split largely along racial lines in Baton Rouge.
“The facts of the event are not much in dispute,” Cabral says. “The officers were called to the location to deal with a man who was reportedly armed and had threatened the caller. Mr. Sterling’s actions, and those actions alone, determined the fatal outcome of this incident.”
