The News Minute | December 24, 2014 | 6.58 pm IST

Washington: A police officer shot dead an armed black teenager in Berkeley, Missouri, near the town of Ferguson which was the scene of violent protests by African-Americans in recent months following a similar incident, a media report said Wednesday.

According to police, the teenager was armed and pointed his gun at the officer when he drew closer to the victim and his companion during a routine patrol stop at a gas station in the outskirts of Berkley.

"Fearing for his life, the Berkeley officer fired several shots, striking the subject, fatally wounding him," St. Louis County Police Department spokesman Brian Schellman said in a statement released on Twitter.

Berkeley is located near Ferguson, where in August a white officer killed unarmed black teenager Michael Brown, leading to widespread protests around the country against methods employed by the police and perceived racism in the department.

The St. Louis police department is carrying out an investigation into the incident, according to Schellman who added that they have recovered a firearm from the body at the scene of the shooting.

The spokesperson said that they could not provide the identity of the dead teenager, however, several media outlets have identified him as Antonio Martin, aged 18.

A little after the incident, dozens of people arrived at the gas station and began to shout slogans against the police, who deployed more officers to the site in order to prevent disturbances, according to CBS television.

--IANS/EFE