Son of Louisiana man killed by police urges peaceful protest, 'not guns'

Cameron Sterling urged those demonstrating against police brutality to "protest in peace, not guns," on Wednesday as he spoke to reporters for the first time.

Sterling's father, Alton, was pinned to the ground and fatally shot by Baton Rouge police on July 5. Officers were investigating a call about a man with a gun outside the convenience store where the elder Sterling sold CDs.

Cameron Sterling urged people to "come together as one united family. There should be no more arguments, disagreements, violence, crimes."

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The 15-year-old appeared in front of media cameras the previous week when he eventually turned and sobbed while others comforted him and spoke about his father.

Protesters flooded the streets of Baton Rouge after Alton Sterling's death. Police officers responded with military-style vehicles, riot gear and rifles. They made more than 100 arrests. Cops in the city also arrested prominent Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson during a protest.

Those protests occurred during a week of demonstrations against police brutality that took place across the country. They were especially intense in Baton Rouge and in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where last week a black cafeteria manager, Philando Castile, was fatally shot by a police officer at a traffic stop, an incident caught on video.

Another protest was proceeding in Dallas when a man there opened fire on police, killing five officers and prompting calls for unity among politicians including President Barack Obama. In Baton Rouge, officers on Tuesday arrested three people they said were planning to shoot at police.

The officers who pinned and shot Alton Sterling were put on paid leave, and the United States Department of Justice has begun investigating the shooting.

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