— A former Baton Rouge police officer who fatally shot a black man nearly two years ago, setting off widespread protests and clashes with police, now faces a misdemeanour charge for an unrelated incident in which he allegedly slapped a suspect. The ex-officer, Blane Salamoni, received a court summons Friday for a simple battery charge, said one of his lawyers, Brant Mayer. The 2016 incident apparently was captured on body camera and occurred weeks before Salamoni shot and killed Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, during a struggle outside a convenience store, according to Mayer. Don Coppola, a spokesman for the police department, confirmed Monday that a summons for a simple battery charge was issued to Salamoni. A conviction for simple battery is punishable by up to 6 months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Source: National Post April 30, 2018 14:14 UTC