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The Louisiana police officers who fatally shot a black man pinned to the ground did so after seeing the man reach for a gun, a Baton Rouge detective said.
Alton Sterling's death helped spur nationwide protests against excessive force by police. He was shot outside a convenience store after police responded to a call about a man threatening another man with a gun.
In a search warrant affidavit seeking surveillance video from the store, Detective R. Cook wrote that the Baton Rouge officers deployed their Tasers after Sterling did not comply with their orders.
Mother of Sterling's son: Justice will be served
Mother of Sterling's son: Justice will be served 02:31
"While the officers were attempting to subdue the subject the officers observed the butt of a gun in the subject's front pants pocket," Cook wrote.
"When the subject attempted to reach for the gun from his pockets the officers fired their police issued duty weapon at the subject to stop the threat. The subject was shot multiple times and did not survive his injuries." http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/12/us/police-shootings-investigations/index.html
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CNN obtained the search warrant affidavit after the owner of the convenience store, Abdullah Muflahi, sued Baton Rouge and its police department. Muflahi accused authorities of illegally taking him into custody and confiscating his entire security system without a warrant.
When asked about the lawsuit by CNN, Cpl. L'Jean McKneely said police would not comment on pending litigation, as is standard procedure.
The U.S. Department of Justice is leading a criminal investigation, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said. The FBI and state police also will be involved, and a federal civil rights investigation will be conducted.
Was Alton Sterling killing justified? Depends what officers were thinking
Any consideration of state charges would come after the results of the federal investigation, East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar C. Moore said.
Back-to-back police shootings ignite outrage
Back-to-back police shootings ignite outrage 01:42
Moore recused himself and his office from the case on Monday, citing a possible conflict of interest.
"It is my determination as district attorney that given the history of a long and close working relationship with the parents of one of the officers involved in this shooting, there would always be questions of my partiality," Moore said.
He said the state attorney general could accept the case himself, appoint another district attorney or choose an independent prosecutor.
The deaths of Sterling and Philando Castile -- both of whom were shot and killed by police -- touched off massive protests in the United States.
During one of those protests Thursday in Dallas, Micah Xavier Johnson killed five Dallas police officers who were helping protect the protesters.
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