Violent Protests Break Out in Berkeley, MO After White Police Officer Shoots and Kills Black Male Near Ferguson (Male Killed ID’d as 18 Year Old Antonio Martin)

FOLKS, WHAT PART DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND … IF YOU POINT A GUN, REAL, FAKE OR WHATEVER, AT A POLICE OFFICER AND YOU WILL BE SHOT DEAD.

White police officer shoots and kills unarmed armed black male. Riots broke out last night around 11 pm in Berkeley, Missouri after a police officer shot and killed a black man at the gas station in the 6800 block of N. Hanley Road in Berkeley.  According to reports, the suspect allegedly pointed a gun at police. St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar says the Berkeley shooting victim was black and the officer white. Berkeley is about 2 miles from Ferguson, Missouri. Needless to say, the shooting incident sparked riots from the community.

click HERE to watch VIDEO via KSDK-5

A crowd of about 200-300 people gathered outside of a gas station in north St. Louis County overnight after a Berkeley police officer shot and killed an armed 18-year-old.

According to Sgt. Brian Schellman, a spokesman with the St. Louis County Police Department, the shooting took place at 11:15 p.m. at the Mobil station in the 6800 block of N. Hanley Road.

The officer was responding to a reported theft at the gas station when he noticed two young men along the side of the building. As the officer walked toward the front door, one of those men pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the officer, Schellman said.

The officer opened fire, striking the armed man, who died at the scene. The second man ran off.

The incident is reported by the St. Louis County Police Facebook page:

The St. Louis County Police Department is conducting an investigation into a shooting death involving a Berkeley, Missouri police officer.

At approximately 11:15 PM on December 23, 2014, a police officer with the City of Berkeley was conducting a routine business check at the Mobile Gas Station located at 6800 N. Hanley when he observed two male subjects on the side of the building.

The Berkeley Police Officer exited his vehicle and approached the subjects when one of the men pulled a handgun and pointed it at the officer. Fearing for his life, the Berkeley Officer fired several shots, striking the subject, fatally wounding him. The second subject fled the scene.

The Berkeley Police Department requested the St. Louis County Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit to handle the investigation. St. Louis County Police Detectives have recovered the deceased subject’s handgun at the scene.

At this time, we cannot confirm the identity of the deceased subject. The investigation is on-going and further details will be provided as the investigation proceeds.

UPDATE I: Officer fatally shoots armed man in town near Ferguson, Missouri

Once again we are presented a picture of an innocent teen, who would never hurt anyone and whose mother said did not even own a gun. Other so-called witnesses on the scene claim he was running away from the police officers. We have heard this song and dance before. It is certain that the gas station had video surveillance so I am sure we will know whether or not the deceased had a gun or not and how it all went down. Get ready for Hands, Part Deux.

An 18-year-old male held a gun “straight out” at a Berkeley, Missouri, police officer before that officer fired “what we think … were three shots,” St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said Thursday. The man — who died after being shot by the officer — is not believed to have fired any shots himself, according to Belmar.

After the officer left his squad car, one of the pair pointed a gun at the officer, who fired multiple times at him, killing him, Schellman said. The second person fled, police said.

The slain man was Antonio Martin, an 18-year-old African-American, his family told CNN.

Police say the officer, whose name wasn’t immediately released, shot in self-defense.

UPDATE II: Berkeley officer kills suspect who pulled gun; police say victim was ‘known’ to police.

Police said they did not know who the second person was, but they called him a “person of interest” and asked for the public’s help to find him.

They said two bystanders on the Mobil parking lot were witnesses.

At a news conference later Wednesday morning, Berkeley Mayor Theodore Hoskins said, “You can’t compare this to Ferguson or the Garner case in New York.” He said the videotape showed the suspect pointing a gun at the officer. He said the city would conduct its own complete investigation, separate from the St. Louis County Police investigation.

“Our overall goal is to project the truth to residents,” Hoskins said.

Among the department’s 31 officers, the mayor said, 17 or 18 are African-American. About 75 percent of the command staff are black, in addition to the mayor, police chief and other city officials, Hoskins added.

“At this point, our review indicates that the police did not initiate this, like Ferguson,” Hoskins said.