Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry announced on March 28, 2018, that the state would not pursue charges against Salamoni, who was fired from the department two days after Sterling's killing for his role in the event. Salamoni shot Sterling six times while he was on the ground.
Landry's announcement followed a May 2017 decision by the US Department of Justice to not bring any charges against the officer.
Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul said at the end of March that Salamoni's actions "were not minor deviations from policy, as they contributed to the outcome to the death of another human being."
On April 13, Salamoni appealed his termination, but since then, the police department has distanced themselves even further from the disgraced officer as his appeal remains pending before the Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board. Howie Lake, another officer who was present during the killing of Sterling, was suspended by the department for three days.
According to a law enforcement official who spoke to The Advocate, federal authorities had flagged footage of the arrest over which Salamoni is currently facing charges to the Baton Rouge Police Department during their civil rights investigation, which ended in May 2017. Since then, the department reviewed four June 2016 incidents captured on Salamoni's body camera and in three of them found "profanity and demonstrated unprofessional behavior," according to a police statement cited by The Advocate.
Salamoni's attorney, Brant Mayer, indicated that the offense Salamoni is being charged over is a slap on the back of the head he delivered to a suspect who was handcuffed and facing down, as captured on newly released body camera footage.
"There was a simple battery," Paul said. "Our officers believed there was probable cause; they charged accordingly."
Salamoni's body camera footage from his fatal encounter with Sterling was released shortly after Louisiana decided against issuing any charges against him or Lake. In the highly graphic footage, key details used in the prosecution of Salamoni were corroborated, including Salamoni threatening Sterling with "I'll shoot your f*cking *ss, b*tch."
After the state's decision, Sputnik News spoke with Arthur Reed, a Baton Rouge activist who filmed the killing. He said that Salamoni approached Sterling with the intent to kill him. Salamoni, he said, "is a murderer with intent to murder — and that's what he did."