Son of man killed by police found unfit in child rape trial

BATON ROUGE, La. – The son of a black man whose killing by white police officers sparked protests has been found incompetent to stand trial on a charge of first-degree rape of a child.

The Advocate reports the Thursday ruling comes after three doctors were appointed to examine 18-year-old Cameron Sterling, who’s accused of raping an 8-year-old boy while babysitting in December.

Sterling’s father, Alton Sterling, was killed by police outside of a convenience store in 2016. Video of his death was widely shared, prompting protests about police brutality against minorities.

Prosecutor Larry McAlpine and defence attorney Dedrick Moore say doctors believe Sterling’s competence can be restored. He has since been transferred from a parish prison to a state mental facility in Jackson for treatment. His competency is set to be reviewed in August.

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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com