Justice

Drake Shares Heartfelt Response to Alton Sterling Shooting

July 7th 2016

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, rapper Drake responded to the shooting of Alton Sterling, a Black man killed by police officers outside of a Baton Rouge convenience store on Tuesday.

In a heartfelt message, the 29-year-old said Sterling's death left him in a state of fear.

"Last night when I saw the video of Alton Sterling being killed it left me feeling disheartened and truly scared," he wrote. "I woke up this morning with a strong need to say something."

He then expressed his concern about the broken and often unjust relationship between police officers and people of color.

"It's impossible to ignore that the relationship between black and brown communities and law enforcement remains as strained as it was decades ago. No one begins their life as a hashtag, yet the trend of being reduced to one continues."

Though the rapper expressed concern about others falling "victim to this pattern," he believes that "things can get better."

"This is real and I'm concerned. Concerned for the safety of my family, my friends and any human being that could fall victim to this pattern. I do not know the answer. But I believe things can change for the better. Open and honest dialogue is the first step."

As ATTN: previously reported, Sterling, who was selling CDs in front of a convenience store, was pinned down by two police officers and shot multiple times while he was on the ground. Police were reportedly responding to an anonymous call about a man threatening someone with a gun. The incident was captured on video by a bystander and posted online.

Since then, news of Sterling's death has generated outrage across the nation, with many — including "Grey's Anatomy" actor and activist Jesse Williams — voicing their criticism of the police officers' actions.

The U.S. Justice Department will investigate if the officers "willfully violated Sterling's civil rights through the use of unreasonable or excessive force," the Associated Press reports.

You can watch the video of the altercation between Alton Sterling and police officers below.

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