2 officers in black man's fatal La. shooting won't be charged

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana's attorney general ruled out criminal charges today against two white Baton Rouge police officers in the fatal shooting of a black man outside a convenience store.

Attorney General Jeff Landry's decision came nearly 11 months after the Justice Department ruled out federal criminal charges in Alton Sterling's July 2016 death.

Landry made the announcement at a news conference after meeting with family members of Sterling.

Veda Washington-Abusaleh, Sterling's aunt, was in tears after meeting with Landry.

"They said they didn't find anything," she said. "They said it was justifiable, what happened to Alton was justifiable."

Landry said his office reviewed all the evidence compiled by the Justice Department, including opinions issued by independent experts, and also conducted its own interviews of eyewitnesses to the shooting.

He said he is "always mindful of the human element" in the case beyond his review of the facts and applicable laws.

"I know the Sterling family is hurting," Landry told reporters. "I know that they may not agree with the decision."

Landry did not take any questions from reporters after his statement. His spokeswoman, Ruth Wisher, would not say if they planned to release the body-camera footage and surveillance video that hasn't been made public.

State Rep. C. Denise Marcelle, a Baton Rouge Democrat who has been involved with the case since Sterling was killed, said Landry's decision means the family will not get any justice.

"It's a sad day for Baton Rouge," she said after word spread the officers wouldn't be charged.