Cop killing of unarmed black teen draws outrage

As reported in 'The Japan News' : Cop killing of unarmed black teen draws outrage The Associated Press Protesters bang on the side of a police car Sunday evening in Ferguson, Mo.

The Associated Press FERGUSON, Mo. (AP)—A black teenager shot multiple times by a suburban St. Louis police officer was unarmed when he died, police said Sunday, as hundreds of local residents protested and a civil rights leader expressed outrage at the killing. Michael Brown, 18, had graduated from high school and was about to enter a local college, said his mother, Lesley McSpadden. St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said the shooting occurred after an officer encountered two people—one of whom was Brown—on the street near an apartment complex Saturday afternoon in Ferguson, a predominantly black suburb a few kilometers north of downtown St. Louis. Belmar said one of the men pushed the officer back into his squad car and a struggle began. Belmar said at least one shot was fired from the officer’s gun inside the police car. Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson said authorities were still sorting out what happened inside the police car. It was not clear if Brown was the man who struggled with the officer. The struggle spilled out into the street, where Brown was shot multiple times. Belmar said the exact number of shots wasn’t known, but “it was more than just a couple.” Looting after vigil People smashed car windows and carried away armloads of looted goods from stores Sunday night after thousands of people packed a suburban St. Louis area at a vigil for Brown. After the vigil, some people looted a convenience store. Several other stores along a main road near the shooting scene were broken into and looted, including a check-cashing store, a boutique and a small grocery store. People were seen carrying bags of food and toilet paper. TV footage showed streams of people walking out of a liquor store carrying bottles of alcohol, and in some cases protesters were standing atop police cars or taunting officers who stood stoic, often in riot gear.