With tears and signs of protest, mourners say farewell to Alton Sterling

A steady stream of mourners filed past the casket of Alton Sterling, the 37-year-old black man who was shot to death by two white police officers as he was pinned to the pavement outside a convenience store.

The grieving paused Friday in front of Sterling’s open casket, which was adorned with music notes and a smiling photo of the man. Sterling was selling CDs outside the store, as he had done for years, when he was killed by police responding to a call of a man threatening someone with a gun.

One mourner wore a T-shirt with the words “No Justice, No Peace” on the back. Another carried a poster board sign saying: “Black America I’m Sorry!!”

A mourner wearing a sign pays her respects at the funeral of Alton Sterling.

(Max Becherer / Associated Press )

Sterling’s death was captured on cellphone video and circulated widely on the Internet. His death, along with another fatal police shooting in Minnesota, sparked widespread outrage among many African Americans over the treatment of blacks by police.

The fatal shooting heightened tensions in Baton Rouge, where about 200 protesters were arrested over the weekend, and police said they had foiled a credible threat to attack officers. Police said they discovered the plot during a pawnshop burglary, and one of the suspects, Malik Bridgewater, 20, is scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court Friday. Police arrested Bridgewater and two other suspects on theft and burglary charges after eight handguns were stolen.

Bridgewater told investigators his motivation was to sell stolen items for cash, an agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives wrote in an affidavit filed Thursday in federal court.

State and local law enforcement officials said during a news conference Tuesday that the stolen guns were part of a credible threat to harm police officers.

The first suspect arrested in the burglary — 17-year-old Antonio Thomas — told police that “the reason the burglary was being done was to harm police officers.”

Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie said threats like that justified an increased show of force at the demonstrations, as officers donned riot gear after starting with a mostly reserved, low profile.

Among the mourners who came to Sterling’s visitation inside the basketball arena at Southern University, a historically black college in north Baton Rouge, was Claire Carter . She, like so many others, said she wanted aggressive policing to end.

Sterling’s encounter with police “went too far” when officers tackled him and used a stun gun on him, she said. Police have said they found a gun in his pocket.

Carter said she bought a rhythm and blues CD from Sterling about a year ago and took it out and played it again after his death.