St. Louis police chief defends fatal shooting by officers

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The police chief on Thursday unapologetically defended the fatal shooting of a black 18-year-old who was killed by two white officers in a confrontation that drew protesters and unrest back to the streets.

Officers responded with tear gas and arrested at least nine people on charges of impeding traffic and resisting arrest.

St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said the crowd-control tactics were justified because officers were being hit with bottles and bricks and protesters refused to clear out of the roadway.

Later, police released surveillance video that appeared to show the younger Harris pulling a handgun from his waistband and running in the direction of the officers.

The police chief and mayor said protesters should have their voices heard, but they differentiated between those who gather to protest and others who create mischief.

Joe Steiger, president of the St. Louis Police Officers' Association, the city's police union, said the chief's decision to pull manpower away from other crime-prone areas to monitor protests risks stretching the city's already thin police force.

Last month, a man was charged with felony child endangerment after his 3-year-old nephew accidentally shot himself in the head after finding a loaded gun under a pillow in a bedroom.

Fountain Park is also the area near where a 93-year-old veteran who was part of the famous all-black Tuskegee Airmen of World War II was the victim of two crimes within a few minutes Sunday — being robbed and then having his car stolen.