Protests break out after Baton Rouge police fatally shoot man

A Louisiana police officer shot and killed a man during a confrontation outside a Baton Rouge, La., convenience store early Tuesday morning, authorities said. The death prompted protests. AP

 
Protests broke out Tuesday following the death of a black man in an officer-involved shooting outside a Baton Rouge, La., convenience store.
Residents protested on and off throughout the day after Alton Sterling, 37, who was selling CDs, died in a confrontation with police, as video circulated on social media capturing the deadly encounter.
Demonstrators chanted, "hands up, don't shoot" and "black lives matter."
Congressman Cedric Richmond of Louisiana called for the Department of Justice to investigate Sterling's death.
“The video footage released today of the shooting of Alton Sterling by officers of the Baton Rouge Police Department was deeply troubling and has understandably evoked strong emotion and anger in our community,” Richmond said in a statement. “I share in this anger and join the community in the pursuit of justice."

An autopsy shows Sterling died of multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and back, East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner Dr. William Clark said.
Demonstrators blocked the intersection near the convenience store before 10 p.m. CT Tuesday night. They eventually cleared the streets and moved to the sidewalks. They told drivers to anticipate another gathering at 8 a.m. Wednesday morning in front of City Hall.

Officers responded to the store about 12:35 a.m. Tuesday after an anonymous caller suggested a man selling music CDs and wearing a red shirt threatened him with a gun, said Cpl. L’Jean McKneely.
Two officers responded and had some type of altercation with the man and one officer fatally shot the suspect, McKneely said. Both officers have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard department policy, he said.
The officers have not been identified.

Cellphone footage circulated on social media purporting to capture the deadly police encounter: In it, an officer tells Sterling to get on the ground. Seconds later, a second officer tackles him to the ground.
One officer holds down Sterling's left arm, while his second arm was out of view. At one point, an officer yells, "He's got a gun! Gun!" He pulls his service weapon and fires at Sterling.
The convenience store’s owner, Abdul Muflahi, told WAFB-TV the first officer used a Taser on Sterling and the second officer tackled the man. Muflahi said as Sterling fought to get the officer off of him, the first officer shot him “four to six times.”
The owner said he saw officers remove a gun from Sterling's pocket after the shooting, but that Sterling did not have a gun in his hand at the time.
State Rep. C. Denise Marcelle, who was briefed by the police chief, told WAFB-TV that the officers were wearing body cameras but the cameras fell off during the struggle and did not capture the shooting.