UPDATE (8/21/15): St. Louis demonstrators reportedly set fire to an abandoned house last night while protesting the death of 18-year-old Mansur Ball-Bey. BuzzFeed shared this photo of the building taken from Getty photographer Michael Thomas today.
Remains of the vacant house set ablaze during protests in St. Louis Wednesday night after the death of #MansurBallBey pic.twitter.com/PBql8GvjZw
See the original story from 8/19/15 below.
CNN reports that St. Louis police officers used tear gas on a group of demonstrators tonight and made nine arrests; the protests had continued from earlier in the day when a young black man died in a shooting involving two police officers.
According to CNN, Police Chief Sam Dotson said that the tear gas was used to disperse crowds after they repeatedly ignored the officers' requests. He also said that demonstrators threw bricks and bottles at the officers.
The tussle came after a young black male who was later identified as the 18-year-old Mansur Ball-Bey died earlier today after being shot at by two police officers. Chief Dotson said in a press conference that the incident happened while the officers were about to execute a search warrant. Before they entered the house, Ball-Bey and another young male ran out. Both were armed and one was carrying some amount of cocaine, said Dotson.
Dotson told reporters that the cops fired after one of the men raised his gun at the officers. A total of four shots were fired—one from one officer and three from the other. The suspect who aimed his weapon at the police was shot, and pronounced dead on the scene. The other escaped.
From CNN:
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In regards to the demonstrators, Dotson said the police will "maintain an increased presence" tonight at the site of the protests.
[via CNN]
