Tensions Mount in Missouri Town After Unarmed Teen Is Allegedly Shot by Cop
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iStock/Thinkstock(ST. LOUIS) — Tensions in a St. Louis suburb are mounting after an unarmed black teen was allegedly shot and killed by a cop following what authorities have described as a fight inside a police car last Saturday.
Protests Sunday evening outside the police station in Ferguson, Missouri, took a violent turn, with looting and rock throwing that damaged several cop cars. Late into the night, riot trucks and K9 units were sent in to try and restore order. Some witnesses described the scene as “out of control.”
Jon Belmar, chief of the St. Louis County Police Department, said the incident Saturday began when the officer allegedly had an altercation with two people, one of whom, he said, assaulted him in his police car.
A struggle for the officer’s gun ensued, according to Belmar, whereupon the officer said he got out of his vehicle and shot “at a subject.”
Eighteen-year-old Michael Brown was killed, having been shot several times. The other person involved was not arrested but police are trying to contact him.
On Sunday, a woman who says she witnessed the shooting of Brown told ABC News the teen had his hands up when he was killed.
Piaget Crenshaw said Brown had turned around and was facing police with his hands in the air when the officer fired. She said a stray bullet from the police officer’s gun hit a neighbor’s home, and she was surprised no one else was injured.
Brown’s mother, Lesley McSpadden, called the shooting of her son murder, and said she hopes to see the police officer who shot him fired and put in jail.
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