The children of Alton Sterling, a black man killed by Louisiana police, accused the city of Baton Rouge of racism and excessive force in a wrongful death lawsuit filed Tuesday.
The lawsuit, filed by Sterling’s five children, alleges that Baton Rogue police shot their father because they weren’t trained properly, reports NBC News.
The lawsuit also maintains that the shooting was just one example of the racism present in the Baton Rouge Police Department, citing texts allegedly sent by an officer that used a slur against a protester.
“The City of Baton Rouge has a long standing pervasive policy of tolerating racist behavior by some of its officers. There have also been multiple verbal racist comments by officers reported to the department,” the lawsuit said. “This tolerance of such behavior directly leads to the mistreatment of individuals of African American descent.”
Two white cops shot Sterling last summer after receiving a call about a man wearing a red shirt holding a gun. Sterling was selling CDs outside when officers came up to him. The officers and Sterling got into a fight, during which one officer claimed to see a gun in Sterling’s pocket. He shot Sterling, saying he saw him going for the gun.
The Justice Department refused to bring charges against the two officers in May.
The children are suing for an unknown amount of money, and the Baton Rouge Police Department and the city of Baton Rouge are named in the suit. The police department said that it would not comment on pending litigation, and the city did not return The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment in time for publication.
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