A small group of demonstrators shut down an interstate highway and marched through the town of Berkeley, Missouri, to protest the fatal police shooting of an 18-year-old who authorities said pointed a gun at an officer.
As police in riot gear looked on, protesters held a candlelight vigil before midnight mass at the steps of a local church. Earlier, a group of about 70 people brought traffic on I-170 southbound to a halt at around 7:30 p.m. local time (8:30 p.m. ET) and later marched to the Mobil gas station where Martin was shot. NBC News affiliate station KSDK said at least one person was arrested in a confrontation at the gas station, though the protests were much more peaceful than a night earlier when more than 100 people at the gas station violently clashed with police.
Antonio Martin, 18 was shot and killed by a police officer late Tuesday. Police said they recovered a 9mm handgun at the scene of the shooting, just two miles from Ferguson, Missouri. "This was not the same as Ferguson," Mayor Theodore Hoskins has said, referring to the controversial police killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown in the nearby town which touched off weeks of sometimes violent protests and nationwide demonstrations.
IN-DEPTH
- St. Louis County Police Release New Video of Fatal Shooting of Teen Near Ferguson
- Fatal Cop Shooting of Teen in Berkeley, Missouri Sparks Clashes