29 Mar 2024
Thursday 25 December 2014 - 17:01
Story Code : 140254

St Louis police release videos of Antonio Martin killing amid protests

St Louis police release videos of Antonio Martin killing amid protests
The St. Louis County Police Department published three videos showing three different angles of a fatal shooting of an African-American teenager by a white police officer several miles away from Ferguson. The incident sparked minor clashes between protesters and police.


MOSCOW, December 25 (Sputnik) The St. Louis County Police Department released three videos showing the fatal shooting ofAntonio Martin, an African-American teenager killed bya white police officer inthe St. Louis suburb ofBerkley onDecember 23.

The first video shows the deceased, identified asAntonio Martin, walking outsidea Mobile gas station atapproximately 11 p.m. local time (5 a.m. GMT) when a police car drove intothe parking lot. Martin and an unidentified individual can be seen approaching the officers and talking tothem fora minute. The footage freezes moments beforethe fatal shooting.

Martin appears toraise his arm. However, the video is too blurry todetermine whether the 18-year-old was holding a gun. Jon Belmar, the St. Louis County police chief, said Martin pulled a gun and pointed it ata police officer. "Fearing forhis life, the Berkeley Officer fired several shots, striking the subject, fatally wounding him," the police department said ina statement.

The footage is the only one that shows the incident and all parties involved init. Two other videos released several hours later show the incident fromdifferent angles. The person accompanying Martin can be seen fleeing the scene inthe second video.

The third video shows the police officer firing shots. In this footage Antonio Martin "has been left outof frame outof respect forhis grieving family," the police department said ina statement. There are 31 cameras inthe vicinity ofthe incident. However, only three ofthem captured what happened.

The name ofthe police officer involved inthe shooting has not been released. Authorities only said that the 34-years-old officer has worked withthe department forsix years. "He will carry the weight ofthis forthe rest ofhis life, certainly forthe rest ofhis career," Belmar said, asquoted bythe Associated Press, adding that "[t]here are no winners here."

The police recovered a loaded 9mm handgun Antonio Martin allegedly pointed atthe officer atthe scene, tweeted the St. Louis County Police Department.

Martin did not fire the weapon. "I don't know why the guy didn't get a shot off, whether his gun jammed or he couldn't get the safety off," said Brian Millikan, an attorney representing the police officer, asquoted bythe AP.

St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar
AP PHOTO/ JEFF ROBERSON
Police Issue Official Statement of Antonio Martin Killing, Say He Was Armed and Dangerous
The police officer was ona routine check responding toreports ofa theft. The St. Louis County Police Department is investigating the incident.The shooting is the latest ina string ofincidents, involving white police officers killing African-Americans.

In August, Darren Wilson, a white police officer, fatally shot Michael Brown, an unarmed African-American teenager, inFerguson, a suburb ofSt. Louis just a few miles fromwhere Martin died. In November, a grand jury chose not topress criminal charges againstWilson sparking large-scale nationwide protests againstpolice brutality and unfair sentencing inthe United States.
Police hold back a crowd at the perimeter of a scene on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2014
EAST NEWS/ AP
Fatal Shooting of Black Teen in St Louis Is Presented Wrongly: City Mayor 

However, Theodore Hoskins, the mayor ofBerkeley, stressed that the Berkley incident cannot be compared toBrowns death. Although Berkley is a predominantly African-American community, many blacks serve onthe local police force, he pointed out. "In a city that is 85% black, we have a majority black police department, so our experience is different. Our police officers are more sensitive, and it is because ofthe black and white relationship you get a better understanding," Hoskins said, asquoted bythe Guardian.

Jay Nixon, thegovernor ofMissouri, issued a short statementregarding the incident inthe St. Louis suburb: "The events inBerkeley are a reminder that law enforcement officers have a difficult, and often dangerous, job inprotecting themselves and law-abiding citizens."

Several hundred people gathered outsidethe Mobile gas station followingthe shooting.

Some protesters are said tohave hurled bricks atpolice officers and three explosive devices were set offat the scene, Belmar said. Two officers sustained minor injuries, he added. Four protesters were detained onsuspicion ofassaulting officers, Belmar said, according toCNN.

A makeshift memorial has been created forAntonio Martin.

By Sputnik News

 

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