On Tuesday, July 5, Alton Sterling, 37, was repeatedly shot and killed by officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Sterling, a father of five, was one of more than 100 black men to have been shot and killed by police in 2016, Time magazine reports.
Shortly after Sterling was killed, a horrific video of the incident appeared online. In it, an officer is seen tackling Sterling to the ground. While the two struggle, a second officer pins Sterling down. After more squirming, an officer can be heard saying "he's got a gun," at which point the officers draw their own guns and shoot Sterling in the back at close range, twice. As the camera cuts away, an additional four shots can be heard as they are fired off.
According to the New York Times, Sterling was selling homemade CDs in front of a convenience store when police showed up responding to a call about an armed man.
The shocking video, combined with the devastating press conference held by the mother of Sterling's eldest son, sparked outrage online resulting in the hashtag #AltonSterling. Over the past 24 hours, countless celebrities have taken to social media to show their support for the Sterling family and to urge government officials to put an end to the violence.
On Wednesday night, Canadian rapper Drake posted an honest message to his fans admitting his concern for the safety of his loved ones and reminding everyone that we are not born with hashtags and shouldn't be reduced to one in death either.
Producer and actor Nick Cannon took to his Instagram page to highlight the injustice of the officers being provided paid leave while Sterling's family will never get to see him again.
Rapper The Game urged everyone to actually stand up and put an end to the hate and violence.
Read on for more tweets from celebrities who are sharing their support for Sterling's family.
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