The father-in-law of Blane Salamoni, one of the two officers involved in the death of 37-year-old Alton Sterling, has a bone to pick with black protesters.
James Durdin defended his son-in-law’s actions in an exclusive interview provided to The New York Daily News on Wednesday. Durdin said black protesters were “making an agenda” out of police violence and Sterling’s death.
“It burns my you-know-what when it’s ― usually the black people ― that try to make an agenda out of this,” Durdin said. “What I’d like to see is them with no police at all, so they can know what it’s like not to have them … The majority of [cops] would never be abusive. Does anyone give a you-know-what about that? We’ll have social chaos [without cops].”
Since a graphic video of the incident began circulating on social media late Tuesday evening, protesters in Baton Rouge have been calling for justice in Sterling’s death.
Sterling, a father of five, was shot and killed by Baton Rouge police early Tuesday morning. The police department has identified the officers involved as Salamoni and Howie Lake II.
Officers arrived on the scene to follow up on reports of a man carrying a gun, threatening others and selling CDs in front of a Triple S convenience store. After a scuffle, one of the officers shot Sterling multiple times in the chest and back. It’s unclear which officer did the shooting.
The Department of Justice has launched a civil rights investigation into Sterling’s death.
Durdin said Sterling “drew a gun” on Salamoni and Lake. Key witnesses have refuted that, and video of the incident does not appear to show Sterling reaching for a weapon. Durdin did not tell The Daily News whether he had watched the video.
But Durdin insisted Salamoni is “well-trained” and did “what he’s trained to do.” He added that it’s “a dirty shame that things like this end up in the news, ‘cause there’s something going around the country and it’s anti-police.”
“I’m totally against these people,” Durdin said of black protesters. “They take advantage of every situation to promote their agendas.”
Sterling’s family has a different perspective on the protests. Quinyetta McMillon, the mother of Sterling’s oldest child, said she was moved by the protests and displays of black solidarity.
“What I saw last night from the real citizens of Baton Rouge will forever warm my heart,” McMillon said during a press conference. “We are a complete community of individuals who will carry this burden and will stand together to make sure this event ... will not go unnoticed, especially from the future.”