St. Louis police arrested at least nine people and used tear gas to disperse a rowdy crowd as they were protesting the death of a black teenager, who was fatally shot by police on Wednesday.

Police Chief Sam Dotson described the protest at a news conference late Wednesday, saying that the demonstrators blocked an intersection, threw glass bottles and bricks at officers and refused to clear the roadway. Police initially deployed smoke canisters at the crowd before resorting to tear gas, Dotson said. Meanwhile, a vacant building and at least one car were set on fire.

Some within the crowd of nearly 150 protesters hurled obscene gestures and expletives at investigators, while questioning if police use of deadly force was necessary, reports USA Today. Others chanted "Black Lives Matter" in the wake of the death of 18-year-old Mansur Ball-Bey of St. Louis, who was killed by police officers Wednesday morning after he allegedly pointed a gun at them.

Officials say that the shooting occurred after two white police officers used a warrant to search a home in a crime-riddled area on the city's north side. That's when Ball-Bey and another suspect took off running out of the back door of the home. However, police say Ball-Bey turned and pointed a handgun at the cops, Dotson said. In turn, both officers opened fire, and Ball-Bey died at the scene.

Police say Ball-Bey was armed with a gun and an extended magazine. The other suspect, who police say was in his mid-to-late teens, was armed with two guns and was in possession of crack cocaine. He was still at large as of late Wednesday.

Altogether, police found four guns at the scene, including the gun dropped by Ball-Bey. Crack cocaine was also recovered from the house.

"Another youth down by the hands of police," Dex Dockett, 42, who lives nearby, told a reporter. "What could have been done different to de-escalate rather than escalate? They (police) come in with an us-against-them mentality. You've got to have the right kind of cops to engage in these types of neighborhoods."

Another community member named Fred Price said he was skeptical about Dotson's account that the suspect pointed a gun at officers, The Associated Press reported. Instead, he said that the cops "provoked the situation." He added that "situations like this make us want to keep the police out of the neighborhood. They're shooting first, then asking questions."