An armed black man was shot and killed by a white police officer Tuesday night in Berkeley, Missouri, just miles from Ferguson. On Wednesday, police released video of the incident.
Sgt. Brian Schellman, spokesman for the St. Louis County Police Department, told KSDK that the shooting happened at 11:15 p.m. at a Mobil station, as the officer responded to a reported theft there. He saw two men standing near the building and one drew a handgun, pointing it right at the officer. Then, the officer began firing. The armed man was shot and killed, Schellman told KSDK. The second man fled the scene.
St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said Wednesday morning that they believe the officer fired three shots, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. One shot hit the armed man, while another hit the police car tire. It is not known where the third shot landed.
Belmar confirmed that the officer is white and 34 years old. He is currently on standard administrative leave. The armed man was an 18-year-old black male.
The suspect was pronounced dead by EMS units at the gas station. He was found with a 9 mm gun, which had its serial number filed off.
While Belmar would not officially give the suspect’s name, Toni Martin-Green, who went to the scene, told the Post-Dispatch that the suspect was her son, Antonio Martin. Belmar did say that the 18-year-old had a criminal record that included armed criminal action and armed robbery.
After the shooting, over 200 protesters went to the scene. Belmar said that four people were arrested for assaulting officers.
On Wednesday morning, police did release a video of the incident.
The incident happened just miles from Ferguson, where unarmed black teen Michael Brown was shot and killed by a white officer. In the months since, there have been protests against police there and around the country.