DC Police Officer Who Shot Terrence Sterling May Get Charged with a Crime: Report

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Attorney's Office has reportedly opened a grand jury investigation into the fatal shooting of Terrence Sterling, an unarmed African-American man who was gunned down by an officer in September in Northwest D.C., sparking outrage from local activists and Black Lives Matter.

Witnesses have been summoned and will provide testimony over the next two weeks, two months after Sterling was shot in the neck by an officer after his motorcycle collided with a police car, according to a Fox 5 report.

Sterling was on his way from a party when witnesses say a police cruiser blocked his path near the intersection of 3rd and M Streets, and the motorcycle struck the car. Critics say that the officer fired at the 31-year-old Sterling without warning from the passenger side window.

Mayor Muriel Bowser identified Brian Trainer as the officer. His body-worn camera wasn't switched on until after the shooting.

The shooting immediately gained national attention, with San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kapaernick -- who has staged a public protest involving kneeling during the national anthem over the shootings of unarmed black people nationwide -- bringing Sterling's death up in an interview with reporters.

Protesters gathered for a demonstration last month at the site of Sterling's shooting.

"These officers had three clear opportunities to stop, think about what they were doing and ultimately save Terrence's life," reads the protest group's Facebook page, Justice 4 #TerrenceSterling Protest. "We are outraged, just like Tulsa and Charlotte, at the ongoing murders of Black people by law enforcement."