Police Shooting of Armed Black Man in Missouri Sparks Protests

Police in Missouri shot and killed an armed man at a gas station. This incident has led to renewed protests from a group of people in the state. According to an Associated Press report on the incident that occurred on Tuesday evening, December 23, in St. Louis, the individual initially drew a weapon on the police, prompting one of the officers to respond with gunfire. Following the incident, a crowd of about 100 people gathered at the scene on Wednesday morning, just a few miles from Ferguson, where 18-year-old Michael Brown was killed by police last summer. According to a statement from the St. Louis police, a Berkeley police officer was on routine patrol at a gas station when two men approached him. Moments later, one of these men drew a weapon on the officer, who then fired several shots in response. The statement indicates that the second man fled the scene and the individual who drew the weapon was killed. The Associated Press notes that police have not yet released the identity of the deceased, but a St. Louis publication reported that a woman named Toni Martin, who was at the scene, stated that the individual was her 18-year-old son, Antonio Martin. According to her, Antonio was with his girlfriend at the time of the incident. The Associated Press added that protesters gathered around the gas station were blaming the police and shouting at the officers. Some protesters had removed yellow tape that police had brought to the scene and wrapped it around their necks or on their foreheads. In recent months, Ferguson, Missouri has also witnessed protests against police actions and the killing of Michael Brown, a Black teenager. These protests, which had subsided for a time, surged again in early December following a Missouri court ruling that acquitted the officer responsible for Michael Brown's death.