(BERKELEY, Mo.) — A man was shot and killed by a police officer Tuesday in Berkeley, Missouri, authorities said — sparking new unrest in a region already reeling following an August police shooting a few miles away in Ferguson.
The shooting happened at 11:15 p.m. Tuesday at a Mobil gas station, St. Louis County Police public information officer Sgt. Brian Schellman said.
According to Schellman, the officer noticed two men on the side of the gas station building and approached, when one of the men pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the officer.
“Fearing for his life, the Berkeley officer fired several shots, striking the subject, fatally wounding him,” Schellman said in a statement.
The shooting is under investigation, and the deceased man’s handgun was recovered, Schellman said.
While police have not released the shooting victim’s identity, Toni Martin identified the victim as her son, Antonio Martin, 18. Toni Martin told reporters at the scene that her son was with his girlfriend at the time of the shooting and refuted police claims that her son was carrying a gun. He was trying to get his life back on track after getting expelled from school, she said.
Michael Brown, 18, was killed in the August shooting in Ferguson. A grand jury declined to bring charges against the officer, Darren Wilson, who fatally shot the unarmed teen.
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