News / Human Rights

Black teenager shot by white police in back in St. Louis: Autopsy

Saturday, 22 August 2015 9:13 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 22 August 2015 9:20 AM ]

Demonstrators, marking the one-year anniversary of the shooting of Michael Brown, confront police during a protest on August 10, 2015 in Ferguson, Missouri. (AFP photo)

An African American teenager shot dead by white police officers in the US city of St. Louis this week died from a gunshot wound in the back, an autopsy report shows.

Mansur Ball-Bey was killed by a bullet that entered his back and hit his heart, the autopsy revealed on Friday.

The report appears to contradict the account of police, who have said that the 18-year-old pointed a gun at them before they opened fire at him.

The position and track of the bullet show the victim's body was not turned towards the officers, the report showed.

News of the preliminary results of the autopsy has escalated tensions that first erupted on Wednesday after the killing. Family members and protesters disputed the police account of the incident and demanded an autopsy.

On Wednesday and Thursday nights, police officers in riot gear clashed with Black Lives Matter protesters, who were shouting slogans against police brutality in the United States. Several demonstrators were injured.

On Friday night, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce said her office would launch their own investigation, rather than waiting for police to announce the results of their investigation.

Demonstrators approach during a protest action through the Central West End of St. Louis, Missouri on August 20, 2015. (AFP photo)

She told reporters at a news conference in St. Louis that her office’s investigation would be independent from the St. Louis police investigation.

"I don't work for the police chief," said Joyce. "I don't work for the mayor. I am elected separately. When police have committed a crime, I hold them accountable."

St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said the shooting took place as police were conducting a search warrant and two young African American men ran out the back door of the targeted home.

Officers ordered the two men to stop in the alley behind the house. One suspect pointed a gun at officers who then fired four times, killing him, Dotson said on Wednesday.

The shooting came 10 days after the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson was flooded with protesters marking the first anniversary of the August 9 fatal shooting of 18-year-old Brown by a white police officer.

Brown's death sparked months of violent protests across the United States and spurred a nationwide movement to confront police violence against minorities.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk