Tensions spilled over in a St. Louis suburb where an unarmed black teen was fatally shot by police this weekend, with riots and looting erupting overnight.
Crowds broke the windows of cars and stores following a day of demonstrations over the death of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old shot dead on Saturday by a Ferguson police officer.
Michael Brown, 18, was shot “more than just a couple of times” by an officer in Ferguson, Missouri, on Saturday, according to county police. St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said the fatal shooting occurred following a “physical confrontation” that started inside a police car and spilled onto the street.
Brown’s killing immediately drew comparisons to the death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin, who was fatally shot in 2012 by a local neighborhood watch member and whose case sparked a fiery debate about race relations.
According to Belmar, Brown was walking with a friend in the middle of the street when an officer attempted to exit his vehicle, the Police said Brown pushed the officer back into the police car.
Brown then entered the officer’s vehicle and a struggle ensued over the officer’s weapon, During the altercation a shot was fired inside the car.
"I witnessed the police chase after the guy, full force,He ran for his life. They shot him and he fell. He put his arms up to let them know that he was compliant and he was unarmed and they shot him twice more and he fell to the ground and died.a witness said
A crowd of some 200 people gathered at the site of the shooting on Saturday, some of them shouting "kill the police" and yelling profanities,
Brown's mother told local TV broadcaster KSDK that her son was a good child getting ready to go to college and was visiting his grandmother when the incident took place.
"He didn't bother nobody," she said. "They told me how many times my son was shot - eight," she added, and then directed her comments at police.
The St Louis County branch of the civil rights group NAACP has said it wants the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to look into the case, with many in the community telling media that race played a factor in the shooting.
The race of the officer was not released.
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