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Protesters set off explosives, throw bricks after police officer shoots, kills 18-year-old in Missouri

24 December 2014 19:38 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Hundreds of people gathered at a suburban St. Louis gas station early Wednesday morning after a police officer shot and killed an 18-year-old man who had been pointing a 9 mm handgun at the officer, authorities said, APA reports quoting news.yahoo.com.

Some protesters among the angry crowd of between 200 and 300 turned violent early Wednesday morning, setting off explosive devices and throwing bricks and rocks, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said at a press conference.

More than 50 police officers, some in riot gear, responded, and video showed officers wrestling with protesters.

Four suspects were arrested on charges of assaulting police officers at the Mobil gas station on Hanley Road in Berkeley, just miles from the site of 18-year-old Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson last August.

“To come there armed with explosive devices is certainly something that is not safe for our community, not safe for our businesses, certainly not safe for our police officers,” Belmar said.