St Louis Police Fatally Shoot Unarmed Black Teenager
Aug 9, 2014A city in the St. Louis metropolitan area has become incredibly tense after local police reportedly shot and killed an unarmed teenager on Saturday afternoon. 18-year-old Michael Brown was fatally shot by Ferguson police officers during an encounter near the Canfield Green Apartments. According to KMOV, witnesses say Brown was unarmed and had his hands in the air when he was shot multiple times by an officer.
Almost instantly, the scene of Brown’s death became ground zero for local outrage. Residents posted stark images from the scene to social media. Police have not yet revealed what prompted the incident, but have confirmed that it was their officer who fired at Brown. Hundreds of local residents reportedly swarmed the scene, some chanting obscenities at the police. The commotion led to an increased police presence, reports KMOV:
[T]here are at least 100 police cars and numerous officers armed with M-16′s in the area. Stark also says hundreds of people have gathered at the intersection of West Florissant Avenue and Canfield Drive to protest the incident. A large police force from 15 different departments responded, including riot-control officers.
The crowd eventually dissipated around 5 p.m. local time, but the anger is still palpable on social media, as Raw Story documented. UPDATE — 11:24 p.m. ET: The St. Louis Post Dispatch has an eyewitness account:
Eyewitness, Piaget Crenshaw, 19, was waiting for a ride to work when she said she saw the police officer attempting to place Brown in the rear seat of a squad car.
She then observed the teen, hands in the air, attempt to flee. Several shots were fired at Brown as he ran, Crenshaw said, striking him in the head and chest.
Crenshaw said police asked and she complied with a request that she turn photos of the scene over to authorities.
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