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Police: Black teen shot in Missouri was unarmed

Ferguson - An unarmed black teenager was shot and killed by police in suburban St Louis after an altercation that involved two people and an officer, authorities said on Sunday while hundreds of protesters demanded justice outside.

Police have not disclosed the name of the man who was killed, but family members identified him as 18-year-old Michael Brown.

St Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said at a news conference that an officer encountered two people on the street near an apartment complex on Saturday afternoon in Ferguson, a predominantly black suburb a few kilometres north of downtown St Louis.

Belmar said one of the men pushed the officer back into his squad car and the struggle began. Belmar said at least one shot was fired from the officer's gun inside the police car.

The struggle spilled out into the street, where one of the two people was shot multiple times. Belmar said the exact number of shots wasn't known, but "it was more than just a couple". He also said all shell casings found at the scene matched the officer's gun.

Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson said the man who was shot was unarmed.

Jackson said police are in contact with the second person who was involved in the altercation, but that the person has not been arrested or charged and is expected to be interviewed later on Sunday. Authorities aren't sure if the second person was unarmed, Jackson said.

During the news conference, which was held in a separate building, some protesters walked into the Ferguson Police Department chanting "don't shoot me" and holding their hands in the air. Officers stood at the top of a staircase and stopped the crowd without using force.

Others outside shouted "We want answers" and "no justice, no peace", and some carried signs saying "stop police terrorism" and "disarm the police".

The St Louis County Police are in charge of the investigation. On Saturday, John Gaskin, a member of the St Louis County NAACP, a civil rights organisation, said the FBI should get involved "to protect the integrity of the investigation".

And State Senator Jamilah Nasheed, a St Louis Democrat, told the St Louis Post-Dispatch she would ask the US Justice Department on Monday to launch a formal investigation.

Belmar said the officer has been with the Ferguson Police Department for six years. He said he wasn't aware of other issues involving the officer, Belmar said. The officer has been placed on paid administrative leave, which is a common procedure after officer-involved shootings.

Brown's grandmother, Desiree Harris, said on Saturday she saw him in her neighbourhood, and minutes later, she heard a commotion and went outside. She found Brown's body less than two blocks away.

"My grandson never even got into a fight," she said of Brown, who she added had recently graduated from high school. "He was just looking forward to getting on with his life. He was on his way."

Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, had harsh words on Saturday for authorities.

"You're not God, you don't get to decide when you get to take somebody from here," she told KSDK.

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