On Wednesday, Missouri police released video footage of the fatal shooting of an armed African American teenager by a white police officer.

The incident took place Tuesday at 11:15 p.m. at a Mobil gas station in Berkeley, Missouri, just a few miles away from Ferguson where Michael Brown was murdered by Officer Darren Wilson in August, reports USA Today.

According to St. Louis County Chief of Police Jon Belmar, the officer, a six-year veteran of the Berkeley police department who has not been identified, fired three rounds, striking the victim with one fatal bullet.

Belmar said the 34-year-old white cop stopped by the gas station in response to a report about larceny. That's where he spotted the victim, identified as Antonio Martin, 18, of St. Louis.

After approaching Martin, the cops said that he pointed a gun at him, which prompted the officer to open fire.

"Bad choices were made," Belmar said, according to ABC News. "This individual could have complied, he could have ran away, he could have dropped the gun."

Gov. Jay Nixon also released a statement in support of the officer Wednesday morning, saying: "The events in Berkeley are a reminder that law enforcement officers have a difficult, and often dangerous, job in protecting themselves and law-abiding citizens." 

Toni Martin identified the victim as her son and told reporters at the scene that her son was with his girlfriend at the time of the shooting. She also denied police claims that her son was carrying a firearm. She added that her son was working on getting his life back on track after getting expelled from school.

"He was a good young man," she said.

Antonio Martin's father Jerome Green told the Post-Dispatch Wednesday, "He's like any other kid who had dreams or hopes," adding, "We loved being around him."


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