Afrasianet - A few dozen protesters rallied in front of a gas station in Berkeley, St. Louis on Wednesday night, where another African-American teenager was shot by a police officer. They faced off against a phalanx of officers, and gunfire has been reported.
While the night began peacefully, bursts of violence were reported on social media. Reporters, including RT’s Marina Portnaya, said they heard gunshots. Police have generally cleared the area.
There have also been reports of police using mace on protesters.
At one point during the evening’s events, demonstrators interrupted traffic by blocking streets and marching down a local highway.
The protest follows the events of Tuesday night, in response to the killing of another black St. Louis teenager, Antonio Martin, who was shot and killed by a Berkley police officer after he said Martin pointed a gun at him.
St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said the officer was questioning Martin and another man at a gas station about a theft at a convenience store in the suburb when the young man pulled a 9mm handgun on him. The officer stumbled backward but fired three shots, one of which struck Martin.
Although the officer had been assigned a body camera, Belmar said he wasn't wearing it at the time, and the dashboard camera was not activated because the patrol car's emergency lights were not on. The 34-year-old officer, a six-year veteran of the Berkeley Police Department, is on administrative leave pending an investigation.
There are three angles from surveillance video, but none show the complete version of what happened that night.
Police said Martin “was known to law enforcement” and had a criminal record that included three assaults and armed robbery.