New clashes in St Louis after second black teenager shot dead by police
At least 400 protesters came into conflict with police in St Louis after a black 18-year-old was shot dead by a police officer on Wednesday just two months after Michael Brown was killed
Police clashed with protesters in St Louis, Missouri on Thursday for a second night after an officer killed a black teenager, ahead of a weekend of planned rallies in the area over the August killing of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown.
Throughout the night, as many as 400 demonstrators spread out across several city blocks in south St Louis, angrily shouting and chanting at rows of police officers, many of whom were clad in riot gear.
“I do know that people were angry last night and they will be out this weekend.”
Dozens of protesters had met earlier at the site in the Shaw neighbourhood where 18-year-old Vonderrit Myers Jr was shot dead on Wednesday by an off-duty white officer working for a private security firm in what police described as a firefight.
But demonstrations grew increasingly chaotic. At one point early on Friday morning, a line of police pushed towards a group of several dozen protesters who jeered and cursed at them, pepper-spraying those who refused to disperse.
He added that a police car and several businesses and residences had been damaged and that US flags were burned. Two people had been arrested by midnight local time, Dotson said, during which one officer suffered minor injuries.