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Disturbing images that some people have perceived as a threat to law enforcement officers relating to the Tuesday shooting of a black man in Baton Rouge, and other material seen as threatening going viral on social media are not credible, Louisiana State Police and other officials said Thursday night, urging people to use caution in what they share so that rumors and false information are not spread.
“At this time there are no credible threats to law enforcement or the public,” a statement issued by the State Police says, noting that both state and federal agencies are closely monitoring social media. Alleged threats, or images perceived as threatening to officers, have found their way through social media sharing to local Facebook accounts, and in some cases been re-shared virally.
“When threats are made they can unnecessarily alarm the public and undermine the investigative process by diverting resources and attention away from the important task at hand,” said the State Police commander, Col. Mike Edmonson. “The State Police, with our law enforcement partners, will remain vigilant at monitoring threats, determining their sources and legitimacy and if necessary providing appropriately measured responses.”
The FBI’s New Orleans Division, its Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana are investigating the Tuesday shooting of Alton B. Sterling, 37, by a white police officer as he and his partner tried to subdue the free-lance compact disc hawker. The officers had responded to a complaint of an armed man fitting Sterling’s description in front of a Baton Rouge convenience store. Graphic cell phone video of the shooting has spread globally; it shows an officer atop Sterling, after a shouted warning of a gun, fire shots at close range into the man’s chest. Authorities have not yet confirmed that Sterling was armed, but in one video an object – which may be a gun – was seen being removed from the dying man’s pocket by an officer.
The case has resulted in emotional protests in Baton Rouge, which have been peaceful.
“Law enforcement officials take these types of threats very seriously,” Edmonson said. “It is essential that the integrity and transparency of this investigation be maintained so that it may be properly concluded. But it just as important to ensure that public safety during the course of this inquiry be maintained and preserved.
East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux, in the statement issued by the State Police, said that local, state and federal agencies are all working in close conjunction with one another and are in constant communication, adding that “if information is received that is deemed to be credible, the public will immediately be notified.”
Some of the questionable material has appeared on Facebook pages that claim to be those of Sterling, but were created by other people who acknowledge that in posts.
