Two videos showing the shooting that killed Sterling had fuelled protests.
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Alton Sterling was shot and killed by two police officers in Baton Rogue, Louisiana, on Tuesday, July 5 after an anonymous 911 caller reported that Sterling was threatening people with a gun outside a convenience store, where he was selling CDs.
The head of the NAACP Baton Rouge called for the police chief to resign during a press conference on Wednesday.
The U.S. Justice Department has launched a civil rights investigation into the killing, which was captured on video.
In the video from the store owner, someone says, “Gun”, while one officer is on top of Sterling and one is next to him.
Speaking to The New Orleans Advocate, convenience store owner Muflahi said he saw the officers fire a Taser at the victim.
Federal investigators are examining the deadly encounter at the request of Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards.
Protesters, who called for justice and chanted “Black lives matter”, held a vigil and played gospel music.
Officers began taking people into custody after they blocked I-676, some holding hands, others lying prone on the pavement.
The two officers involved in the shooting have been identified by authorities as Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II. “It’s insane”, said Muflahi, who considered Sterling a friend and allowed him to sell CDs outside his store.
In the clip, officers can be seen restraining Sterling and yelling at him before pulls a gun from his holster and fires it several times into the 37-year-old’s chest.
A video filmed by a community activist has since sparked massive outrage online. Both officers have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard department policy, he said.
The 48-second video shows gunfire go off when one of the officers screamed, “He’s got a gun!”
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About 200 people protested on Tuesday night and on Wednesday there was unrest in Philadelphia where about 75 people blocked a busy road as they protested about the killing of Mr Sterling. Esman said in a statement. Instead, it shows Sterling being repeatedly shot after he was pinned on the ground. A department spokesman said the officers’ body cameras came loose during the altercation, the Advocate reports.
