Press Releases

U.S. Congressman Garret Graves (R - Baton Rouge) issued the following statement regarding the shooting of Alton Sterling:

"All loss of life is tragic, and our prayers are with Alton’s family, his friends and our community. When something like this happens, I try to imagine how I would respond if a loved-one was the victim, and in this case, the video we’ve all seen is gut wrenching. We urge the law enforcement community to release all the evidence of the preliminary investigation as quickly as possible, and we encourage onlookers to not confuse presumptions for facts in the meantime. No 45-second video changes this fact: black men are not automatically criminals and police officers are not automatically dirty. Harmony between citizens and law enforcement depends just as much on law enforcement’s integrity as it does on our collective respect for the law. Let’s not allow this incident to cast a shadow over the law enforcement community, who with rare exception, are extremely professional, dedicated, courageous and put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities."