A white police officer who fatally shot black father Alton Sterling following a struggle outside a convenience store has been fired as shocking new bodycam footage emerged of the incident.
Blane Salamoni is seen screaming profanities at Sterling from the moment he arrives at the store, before drawing his gun and threatening to shoot if he does turn around as the visibly confused father says, "What did I do, sir?"
Salmoni and his partner Howie Lake II, who has been suspended, then Taser Sterling before wrestling him onto the tarmac forecourt of the Triple S Food Mart and shots are fired, reports Daily Mail.
Afterwards, a breathless Salmoni can be heard repeatedly saying "stupid a** motherf*****" as Sterling lies lifeless on the ground with a bullet wound in his chest.
Baton Rouge police Chief Murphy Paul, who described the graphic footage as "shocking to the conscience", announced the disciplinary action less than a week after Louisiana's attorney general ruled out criminal charges.
But the officer, who has served with the force for less than three months, insisted he had not acted for political or emotional reasons. Salamoni, who along with Lake has been on paid leave since Sterling's death, intends to appeal against the decision.
Both officers had remained on paid administrative leave since the shooting, which sparked nationwide protests.
Attorney General Jeff Landry announced on Tuesday that his office isn't charging either officer. The U.S. Justice Department ruled out federal criminal charges last year.
On July 5, 2016, Sterling was selling CDs outside the Triple S Food Mart.
A homeless man reportedly made the call to police that he was threatening people at around 12.30am. The two officers arrived not long afterwards.
They began arguing with Sterling and were filmed in earlier footage throwing him to the ground, bouncing him off of a car in the parking lot.
As they both straddled him, they screamed: "Don't move, I swear to God!"
Salamoni then pulled out his gun and fired three shots into his body at point blank range.
As Sterling struggled on the ground, they fired another three in to his back.
It is unclear if Sterling was in a relationship at the time of his death. His five children do not all have the same mother.
One of those women spoke of her grief last year when the Department of Justice announced it would not be pressing charges.
Sterling should not have been in possession of a gun when he died.
He was a convicted felon with a criminal history of battery, domestic violence and sexual offences.
Last year, when the Justice Department announced it would not file federal charges against him, they conceded that the videos do not show him reaching for a weapon.
They however argued that because neither cop was "in control" of Sterling's hand, they were justified in their actions.