BATON ROUGE – Amid chants for a transparent investigation Wednesday, authorities released the first piece of new information in the deadly shooting of a man by a West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s deputy.

Officials released a search warrant, showing deputies wanted to look through the road-side motel room where Josef Richardson was staying for drugs the night he was shot – last Thursday. Court records show deputies were at the Budget 7 motel to look for drugs, items related to abusing or dealing drugs and drug money.

The search warrant was released hours after Richardson’s family gathered at the steps of the West Baton Rouge Parish Courthouse demanding details be released. For days, WBRZ has reported on a series of unanswered questions related to the case, now overseen by State Police.

Authorities have not said if Richardson was armed when he was shot in the back of the neck last week.

In a statement after the family’s remarks, State Police said “the investigative process takes time. There is no room for error when we are working to gather all of the facts. The premature release of information can in fact affect the totality of the investigation. We have full confidence in our investigative team and the integrity they bring to the investigation. We are asking for patience as we continue this process.”

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