BATON ROUGE - The International Union of Police Associations is calling into question the rationale behind the firing of the officer who shot and killed Alton Sterling.

According to a statement from I.U.P.A. President Sam Cabral, the union questions whether Police Chief Murphy Paul's decision to fire Blane Salamoni was not politically motivated.

“Very publicly, Mayor Broome called for officer Salamoni’s termination, long before either of the two independent investigations had been completed," Cabral said.  "Chief Murphy was hired by the mayor and certainly is expected to follow her direction. This termination is just that.”

Cabral cites both the federal and state investigations of the shooting, noting that charges were not pursued against Salamoni in either investigation.

Salamoni appealed the firing last week and the case will be presented to the Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board for consideration.