Crowds gathered for a vigil honoring Alton Sterling on Wednesday outside the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, convenience store where a white police officer fatally shot the black man.
Graphic cell phone video of the Tuesday morning shooting spread through social media, fueling outrage over Sterling’s death and drawing national attention to the incident.
As crowds gathered outside the Triple S Mart on Wednesday night, no single emotion captured the mood, said Baton Rouge activist Aaron Banks.
Some people were clearly upset, crying, swearing and shouting. Others tried to keep the mood positive and focused on Sterling, a father of five known as the “CD man” who sold tunes and DVDs outside the convenience store where he was shot.
“Emotions are all over the place,” Banks said.
Images and video from throughout the day at the scene showed people gathering to protest Sterling’s death and honor his memory.
Some carried signs that said “Black Lives Matter” and wore T-shirts bearing the hashtag #JusticeForAltonSterling
Volunteers made swift progress on a mural of Sterling that was started earlier in the day outside the convenience store.
Banks said Sterling’s death was the tipping point for a community struggling with poverty, crime and neglect by state and local politicians.
The message of the vigil? “We’re not going to tolerate this anymore,” he said.
