Crowd Gathers to Protest After Fatal Shooting Involving St. Louis Police Officer: ‘Hands Up, Don’t Shoot’

A crowd of protesters gathered just outside Ferugson, Missouri Wednesday night after an off-duty St. Louis police officer fatally shot a young black man during a "pedestrian check."

Crowd of more than 100 gathered on Shaw at scene of fatal police shooting, people murmuring, calmer than earlier pic.twitter.com/iKtdzTKMBm

— David Carson (@PDPJ) October 9, 2014

Dozens of individuals stormed the streets, chanting "hands up, don't shoot" and "f*** the police." The demonstration occurred about 15 miles from the site where 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot.

According to the St. Louis Police Department, an officer was working a "department-approved secondary for a security company" and wearing a police uniform "when he attempted a pedestrian check."

"The male suspect fled on foot. The officer pursued the suspect. The suspect turned and fired a gun at the officer," the department said in a statement to BuzzFeed News. "Fearing for his safety, the officer returned fire striking the suspect, fatally wounding him. The officer was not injured."

"A gun was recovered from the scene. The officer is a 32-year old white male. He has been on the force for 6 years," it continued. "The suspect is a black male believed to be 18-20 years old. As is department policy, the officer has been placed on administrative leave. The investigation is ongoing."

However, despite the account given by police, one individual told the Post-Dispatch the individual shot was unarmed.

“He was unarmed,” Teyonna Myers said. “He had a sandwich in his hand, and they thought it was a gun. It’s like Michael Brown all over again.”

—

Follow Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) on Twitter