Angry scenes as black teenager shot dead by St Louis police
A man, thought to be a black teenager, has been shot dead by a police officer in the same city where the killing of Michael Brown sparked protests.
Sergeant Brian Schellman said the officer was carrying out a routine business check at a petrol station in the St Louis suburb of Berkeley at around 11.15pm local time last night when he observed two male subjects and approached them.
Sgt Schellman said one of the men, unofficially identified as 18-year-old Antonio Martin, pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the approaching officer.
The officer then fired several shots, striking and fatally wounding the suspect. Sgt Schellman said the second suspect fled.
.@stlcountypd statement on #AntonioMartin shooting. (Screenshot via @JohnHenryKSDK) pic.twitter.com/oe2MkkP7b2
— The Big 550 KTRS (@KTRS550) December 24, 2014
The St Louis Post Dispatch reported that a group of about 60 people gathered at the scene.
Scene in St Louis after another young black man shot dead #AntonioMartin #Berkeley #Ferguson http://t.co/UC6PFTswsJ http://t.co/pu6IX4qxYh
— The Independent (@Independent) December 24, 2014
The protesters who gathered in the aftermath of the shooting yelled at officers, and pictures appeared to show some being wrestled to the ground and handcuffed.
Some had strands of yellow police tape draped around their neck, with others using it as a headband.
Authorities from multiple agencies, some in riot gear, stood among the protesters and it is understood that pepper spray was fired in a bid to disperse the crowd.
Across the street, another petrol station’s glass doors were shattered and police closed it off.
The dead man’s identity has not yet been officially released, although the St Louis Post Dispatch reported that a woman at the scene identified him as her son, 18-year-old Antonio Martin.
Toni Martin told the newspaper her son was with his girlfriend at the time of the shooting.
Orlando Brown, 36, of nearby St Charles, was among the protesters. He said he did not have all the details about the shooting but said he wondered if it was a case of police aggression.
“I understand police officers have a job and have an obligation to go home to their families at the end of the night,” he said.
“But do you have to treat every situation with lethal force? It’s not a racial issue, or black or white. It’s wrong or right.”
Mr Brown said he was pepper-sprayed during the protest as police tried to separate him from a friend whose hand he was holding. He said his friend was arrested for failing to disperse.
Neither Mr Schellman nor Berkeley police could immediately confirm whether pepper spray was used or that arrests were made.
Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson led to weeks of protests and some looting in the St Louis area, actions that were renewed last month when a grand jury chose not to indict the officer who shot him.
Berkeley is about two miles from Ferguson, where a police officer fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown in August.
