Police pinned down Alton Sterling to the ground when he was selling CDs outside a Baton Rouge convenience store in Louisiana on Tuesday after receiving a tip from an anonymous caller on 911 about Sterling pointing his gun at someone. As Sterling lay immobile, the police shot him several times. In the video released on Youtube, one of the police officers is seen yelling, "He's got a gun!" After a few seconds, Sterling is shot by the cops.
Baton Rouge Police Department spokesman Cpl. L'Jean McKneely told NBC News that the officers were not immediately interviewed as shooting is a very stressful situation for them, and can produce "tunnel vision" which is not helpful in getting the best information.
"We give officers normally a day or so to go home and think about it," he said.
Abdullah Muflahi, owner of the Triple S Food Mart near the shooting incidence, said that the policemen seemed to be freaking out during the altercation.
The video shows an officer taking something out of his pocket as he lay on the ground. His autopsy showed death from multiple shots on his chest and back.
The US Justice Department will investigate the circumstances prevailing at the time of Sterling's death. Authorities confirmed that Sterling was armed, and both the officers are on an administrative leave in accordance with the local department policy.
The District Attorney Hiller Moore office supported the decision to request an independent and federal review of the shooting.
"This is a very important decision taken to ensure that our community can have confidence that local law enforcement is committed to ensuring transparency in all officer involved deaths," a statement from Moore's office said.
Both officers were wearing body cameras and the police car had dashboard cameras. The body cameras dislodged and became loose during the incidence, but the car camera footings were preserved.
The store camera recorded everything, and one bystander also took video of the shooting.
"I'm heartbroken. It's outrageous. It's crazy," Muflahi told Reuters, who had befriended Sterling and permitted him to sell CDs outside his store.
Sterling's family and friends gathered outside the store to protest the killing, and the video footage of the scene triggered protests in many cities including New York, Missouri, and Baltimore.
"I have full confidence that this matter will be investigated thoroughly, impartially and professionally," Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said at a news conference on Wednesday.
