Crime

Missouri teen fatally shot by police near Ferguson

Police hold back a crowd at the perimeter of a scene following a shooting Tuesday at a gas station in Berkeley, Missouri.
David Carson | St. Louis Post-Dispatch | AP

An angry crowd clashed with police in Missouri after an officer fatally shot a black teen during what authorities said was an armed confrontation just two miles from where Michael Brown was killed earlier this year.

According to Reuters, quoting The St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper, at least three people were arrested at the scene.

A distraught woman at the scene who identified herself as Toni Martin said her 18-year-old son, Antonio Martin, was killed, NBC News reported.

Police in suburban Berkeley said an officer was conducting a check of a Mobil gas station late Tuesday "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," the statement said. "Fearing for his life, the Berkeley Officer fired several shots, striking the subject, fatally wounding him. The second subject fled the scene."

Images and video footage on social media showed what appeared to be smoke and loud bangs, although it was not clear whether it was the bystanders or the police that had caused them.

News of the shooting has hit social media with an increasing number of, as yet unverified, eyewitness reports.

Tweet 1 here

Tweet 2 here

Tweet 3 here

The shooting comes at a time of protest and controversy in the U.S. over police tactics and treatment of blacks. This follows the shooting of Brown, an unarmed teenager, by police in Ferguson, Missouri, in August. A grand jury decided not to indict the officer.

Brown's death sparked riots and protests—some of which met with a tough response from police.

Read MoreMissouri police sued for $40 mln over actions in Ferguson protests

This is a developing story, please check back for developments.

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