A federal judge has sealed an autopsy report on the death of Alton Sterling, the 37-year-old black man who was shot and killed during a struggle with two white police officers last month, East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner Beau Clark tells The Associated Press.
Clark says he is prohibited from releasing a copy of the judge’s order sealing his office’s autopsy report, which the coroner signed on Monday.
This was the first time since he became the parish’s coroner in 2012 that a court order has sealed one of his office’s autopsy reports, Clark says, adding that he customarily consults with law enforcement before publicly releasing any autopsy reports for deaths under criminal investigation.
Clark announced last month that the autopsy showed Sterling died of multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and back, but he hasn’t disclosed any other details of his office’s findings.
The Justice Department is investigating Sterling’s fatal shooting outside a Baton Rouge convenience store.
A spokeswoman for Baton Rouge-based U.S. Attorney Walter Green’s office says the office couldn’t comment on the judge’s order due to the ongoing civil rights investigation.
