Attorney General Jeff Landry confirmed Wednesday that his office will handle the state review of the Alton Sterling shooting case.
In a statement, Landry said his office has not yet seen any of the investigative materials created by the DOJ. Those files will be handed off to the Louisiana State Police to start a state investigation, he said. A prosecutor from the state Attorney General's Office will also be assigned to the case.
"it is important for the public to know that this matter will be handled by the most professional and proficient law enforcement use of force team in Louisiana," said Landry, who noted that the State Police often investigate officer-involved shootings in Louisiana.
Federal prosecutors will not bring criminal charges against either of the Baton Rouge city p…
The case is now Landry's because East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore III recused himself, citing his long working relationship with the parents of Officer Blane Salamoni, one of the involved officers. Salamoni shot Sterling after a struggle last July. Officer Howie Lake II and Salamoni had responded to the Triple S convenience store on North Foster Drive to check out a complaint about a man who threatened someone else with a gun, police have said.
In a case where a local DA recuses, Landry had the option of taking the case on himself or assigning another district attorney's office to handle the review. One Democratic state lawmaker, saying he doesn't have faith in Landry's office on this case, said Tuesday he planned to ask the Republican AG to appoint a special prosecutor. Landry's statement did not address this concern, but did not that his office recently handled a successful prosecution of a law enforcement officer accused in the shooting of a 6-year-old boy and his father in Marksville after a car chase.
The U.S. Justice Department has decided not to charge two white Baton Rouge police officers …