Ferguson riot: Second black man killed by police in St Louis
A second black man has been killed by police in St Louis, Missouri, days after Michael Brown’s death, threatening to further escalate tension.
On August 19, police officers shot dead a man who brandished a knife at them, St Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said.
The August 9 shooting of Michael Brown, 18, sparked days of violent protests in the town of Ferguson, prompting a heavy police crackdown.
There is widespread anger against the mainly white police force for killing Michael Brown, who was unarmed.
Michael Brown’s family says his funeral will take place on Monday, August 25.
Attorney General Eric Holder is due to visit Ferguson on Wednesday to meet officials investigating the killing.
The police killing of a second black man in St Louis in 11 days has threatened to further escalate tension (photo AP)
Tuesday’s police shooting has threatened to further inflame tensions within the community.
According to police, in the early afternoon, two officers shot and killed a knife-wielding man four miles from the site of Michael Brown’s killing.
St Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said witnesses reported the man had been behaving in an erratic manner, and emphasized the officers had a right to defend themselves.
“The suspect turned toward officers, pulled out knife in an overhand grip, told officers to <<shoot me now, kill me now>>,” he told reporters.
In another development in the Michael Brown case, the St Louis county prosecutor’s office on Tuesday said it would present evidence against Officer Darren Wilson to a grand jury on Wednesday.
The citizen panel will determine whether or not to charge Darren Wilson with killing Michael Brown.
Both St Louis officials and the US justice department are conducting investigations into the case, which has provoked demonstrations throughout the country.
Witnesses have said Michael Brown was shot as he held his hands up in a position of surrender, while the police and supporters of Darren Wilson have said he fired during a fight with the teenager.
An autopsy commissioned by Michael Brown’s family concluded he had been shot six times, twice in the head.
New York pathologist Dr. Michael Baden said Michael Brown’s body showed no signs of a struggle.
He also believed Michael Brown was not shot at close range as there was no gunpowder residue on his body, suggesting the officer was more than 2ft away.