The St. Louis County Police Department published three videos showing three different angles of a fatal shooting of an African-American teenager by a white police officer several miles away from Ferguson. The incident sparked minor clashes between protesters and police.


MOSCOW, December 25 (Sputnik) � The St. Louis County Police Department released three videos showing the fatal shooting of�Antonio Martin, an African-American teenager killed by�a white police officer in�the St. Louis suburb of�Berkley on�December 23.

The first video shows the deceased, identified as�Antonio Martin, walking outside�a Mobile gas station at�approximately 11 p.m. local time (5 a.m. GMT) when a police car drove into�the parking lot. Martin and an unidentified individual can be seen approaching the officers and talking to�them for�a minute. The footage freezes moments before�the fatal shooting.

Martin appears to�raise his arm. However, the video is too blurry to�determine whether the 18-year-old was holding a gun. Jon Belmar, the St. Louis County police chief, said Martin pulled a gun and pointed it at�a police officer. "Fearing for�his life, the Berkeley Officer fired several shots, striking the subject, fatally wounding him," the police department said in�a statement.

The footage is the only one that shows the incident and all parties involved in�it. Two other videos released several hours later show the incident from�different angles. The person accompanying Martin can be seen fleeing the scene in�the second video.

The third video shows the police officer firing shots. In this footage Antonio Martin "has been left out�of frame out�of respect for�his grieving family," the police department said in�a statement. There are 31 cameras in�the vicinity of�the incident. However, only three of�them captured what happened.

The name of�the police officer involved in�the shooting has not been released. Authorities only said that the 34-years-old officer has worked with�the department for�six years. "He will carry the weight of�this for�the rest of�his life, certainly for�the rest of�his career," Belmar said, as�quoted by�the Associated Press, adding that "[t]here are no winners here."

The police recovered a loaded 9mm handgun Antonio Martin allegedly pointed at�the officer at�the scene, tweeted the St. Louis County Police Department.

Martin did not fire the weapon. "I don't know why the guy didn't get a shot off, whether his gun jammed or he couldn't get the safety off," said Brian Millikan, an attorney representing the police officer, as�quoted by�the AP.


� AP PHOTO/ JEFF ROBERSON
Police Issue Official Statement of Antonio Martin Killing, Say He Was Armed and Dangerous
The police officer was on�a routine check responding to�reports of�a theft. The St. Louis County Police Department is investigating the incident.�The shooting is the latest in�a string of�incidents, involving white police officers killing African-Americans.

In August, Darren Wilson, a white police officer, fatally shot Michael Brown, an unarmed African-American teenager, in�Ferguson, a suburb of�St. Louis just a few miles from�where Martin died. In November, a grand jury chose not to�press criminal charges against�Wilson sparking large-scale nationwide protests against�police brutality and unfair sentencing in�the United States.

� EAST NEWS/ AP
Fatal Shooting of Black Teen in St Louis Is Presented Wrongly: City Mayor 

However, Theodore Hoskins, the mayor of�Berkeley, stressed that the Berkley incident cannot be compared to�Brown�s death. Although Berkley is a predominantly African-American community, many blacks serve on�the local police force, he pointed out. "In a city that is 85% black, we have a majority black police department, so our experience is different. Our police officers are more sensitive, and it is because of�the black and white relationship you get a better understanding," Hoskins said, as�quoted by�the Guardian.

Jay Nixon, the�governor of�Missouri, issued a short statement�regarding the incident in�the St. Louis suburb: "The events in�Berkeley are a reminder that law enforcement officers have a difficult, and often dangerous, job in�protecting themselves and law-abiding citizens."

Several hundred people gathered outside�the Mobile gas station following�the shooting.

Some protesters are said to�have hurled bricks at�police officers and three explosive devices were set off�at the scene, Belmar said. Two officers sustained minor injuries, he added. Four protesters were detained on�suspicion of�assaulting officers, Belmar said, according to�CNN.

A makeshift memorial has been created for�Antonio Martin.

By Sputnik News

 

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