Clinton: Louisiana police shooting ‘a tragedy’

Hillary Clinton on Wednesday mourned the death of a black man killed during an encounter with police the day before in Louisiana.

“The death of Alton Sterling is a tragedy, and my prayers are with his family, including his five children,” she said in a statement. “From Staten Island to Baltimore, Ferguson to Baton Rouge, too many African-American families mourn the loss of a loved one from a police-involved incident.

{mosads}“Something is profoundly wrong when so many Americans have reason to believe that our country doesn’t consider them as precious as others because of the color of their skin.”

Protests erupted in Baton Rouge, La., early Wednesday after the death of Sterling, 37.

The Baton Rouge Police Department on Tuesday confirmed Sterling died during a confrontation at a convenience store.

“Uniformed officers responded to a disturbance call from a complainant who stated that a black male was selling music CDs and wearing a red shirt threatened him with a gun,” it said in a Facebook post.

The Department of Justice’s civil rights division on Wednesday announced it is investigating the incident.

The case now has national attention following the release of graphic video capturing the encounter between authorities and Sterling. It shows two officers restraining Sterling, who is ultimately shot during the struggle while pinned to the ground.

Clinton on Wednesday said the U.S. must solve lingering tensions between its law enforcement officials and minority communities.

“I am glad the Department of Justice has agreed to a full and thorough review of this shooting,” the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said.

“Incidents like this one have undermined the trust between police departments and the communities they serve,” Clinton added. “We need to rebuild that trust. We need to ensure justice is served.

“All over America, there are police officers demonstrating how to protect the public without resorting to unnecessary force. We need to learn from and build on those examples.”