NBA Player Says Alton Sterling Was 'Not A Guy Who Would Use Violence'

NBA forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis can be added to the list of athletes who are sharing their thoughts and reactions to the aftermath of the fatal police shooting of Alton Sterling.

Davis told TMZ Sports Wednesday that Sterling ― whom he previously met while promoting music in the city ― was a “great guy” with a “big personality” who distributed music CDs to financially support his household and not to incite violence.

“CDs were his way to make income to support his family,” the Louisiana-native said. “Not a guy who would use violence at all.” The current NBA free agent went on to encourage residents of Baton Rouge to “speak up” during the ongoing investigation surrounding the shooting.

Since video footage of a Baton Rouge police officer fatally shooting Sterling multiple times in the back and chest surfaced online Tuesday, protests have taken place in the city. Many have also expressed their outrage on social media, including Rev. Jesse Jackson who cited the shooting in a tweet as a “legal lynching.”

There have been over 558 police killings in the U.S., and Sterling’s death is one of the most recent, according to The Guardian’s database The Counted.