An warrant from police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has revealed that officers claimed they observed the butt of a gun in the front pocket of Alton Sterling’s pants before shooting him to death.
Officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake said they saw Sterling reach for the gun before opening fire, according to the affidavit that a Baton Rouge detective filed for a search warrant in the case.
The warrant gives the first few details of what police say happened leading up to the shooting of Sterling, 37, on July 5.
‘While the officers were attempting to subdue the subject the officers observed the butt of a gun,’ the affidavit says.
It goes on to say when they saw him attempt to reach for the gun, one officer fired, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Baton Rogue investigators and ‘the officers feel they were completely justified’, East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore said during a news conference last week.
The warrant was used to retrieve surveillance video from the convenience store where the shooting occurred.
Law enforcement officials state that they have dashcam footage, body cam footage and store surveillance footage that will be used in the investigation and turned over to the Justice Department.