Man shot, killed by Baton Rouge police officer

Cellphone footage is being circulated online of the moment an African American man was shot and killed by American police officers outside a convenience store in Louisiana.

The video shows an officer using a stun gun on Alton Sterling and another policeman tackling the victim to the ground.

Baton Rouge Police said the shooting happened around 12:30 a.m. after officers were called to the scene following reports of a man carrying a gun, threatening others and selling CDs in front of the store.

Police have not confirmed whether Mr Sterling had a gun or not, but have said the two officers involved have been placed on administrative leave.

According to the Baton Rouge Advocate, the Baton Rouge police officer shot and killed Sterling on Tuesday outside a convenience store.

The owner said Sterling did not have a gun in his hand at the time but he saw officers remove a gun from Sterling’s pocket after the shooting.

“[The officers] were really aggressive with him from the start”, Muflahi told The Advocate.

After the shooting, an officer reached into Sterling’s pocket and retrieved a handgun, Muflahi said.

State Rep. C. Denise Marcelle, who was briefed by the police chief, said that the officers were wearing body cameras but the cameras fell off during the struggle and did not capture the shooting.

“It’s an ongoing investigation”, McKneely added.

“God bless his soul”, said Muflahi. “Much differently. On both sides it could have been handled differently”, Muflahi said.

“The worries are that we are not going to get the information we need to cool the situation down and this may definitely be the next Ferguson right here in Baton Rouge”. It could’ve, it could have, it could have been handled differently. She said Sterling is a convicted felon who was recently released from jail and was on parole.

Flowers and messages have been left at a table where Sterling was known for selling CDs outside the convenience store, where he was shot. By comparison, there were a total of 3 fatal officer-involved shootings in 2015 and none in 2014.