New police shooting in St. Louis, protesters, black guy white cop, etc etc

quote:

---

Police Chief Jon Belmar said the officer was responding to a larceny call at a Mobil on the Run station about 11:15 p.m. Tuesday when the shooting happened.

The officer saw two people on the parking lot in the 6800 block of North Hanley Road and began talking with them.

Belmar said one of the people approached the driver's side of the vehicle.

One of the individuals "produced a pistol with his arm straight out, pointing it straight at the officer kind of from across the hood," Belmar said.

At that point, the chief said, the officer got his service revolver "and fired what we think is three shots."

---

quote:

---

Belmar declined to release his name at the news conference but said he had a criminal record, with charges including three assaults, armed robbery, armed criminal action and multiple uses of weapons since he was 17.

A woman at the scene overnight, Toni Martin-Green, said it was her son, Antonio Martin, 18.

---

quote:

---

Between 200 and 300 protesters gathered at the scene after the shooting, and conflicts broke out between officers and protesters, Belmar said.

Four people were arrested for assaulting officers, and at least one officer was injured when he tried to get away from some sort of firework device set off on the parking lot, Belmar said.

Protesters also threw some bricks at officers, Belmar said. Police used pepper spray on the crowd but did not use any tear gas, the chief said.

He also said several police cars were damaged, and some protesters brought bags of rocks to the scene.

As to suggestions that the officer should have used a Taser instead of his gun, Belmar said: "Frankly that's unreasonable." The officer also had a body camera issued to him at the start of his shift, but he was not wearing it. The car's dash-camera was not activated.

---