St. Louis Police Release Video of Antonio Martin Shooting

Following the late-night shooting death of 18-year-old Antonio Martin in the St. Louis suburb of Berkeley, St. Louis County police have released a surveillance video of the fatal encounter.

St. Louis police also gave an early-morning press conference at 7 a.m. local time into the case and their investigation. According to early accounts from St. Louis police, at about 11:15 p.m. on Tuesday night, Martin was shot after he pointed a gun at a Berkeley police officer.

An official police statement said that an officer with the City of Berkeley, a suburb of St. Louis, encountered two people at a gas station at about 11:15 p.m. on Tuesday night at 6800 N. Hanley. After a brief verbal exchange, one of the people drew a gun on the officer and the second person fled the scene.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the police officer fired several shots and killed Martin after he drew the gun.

The surveillance video released by police, however, only shows the encounter between Antonio Martin, the police officer, and the third as-yet unidentified person, up until the moment that Martin appears to draw a weapon.

The video, which is only one minute and 46 seconds long, shows Martin and his friend walk out of the gas station convenience store as a couple with a baby carriage walks past. The police car pulls up in front of the convenience store and Martin and his friend are seen approaching the vehicle, which is at the far end of the store from the video camera.

After what appears to be a brief verbal exchange between the officer, Martin and his friend, it appears that one of the two men draws a weapon on the police officer at close range. The video cuts off as soon as the suspect’s weapon is drawn and does not show the final, fatal encounter between Antonio Martin and the officer.

During a press conference about the shooting police told reporters that video footage from the other end of the gas station was so close to the encounter that it was practically on top of their heads and didn’t offer a clear view.

Police also said during the press conference that the man shot was “known” to police, and drew a pistol on the 34-year-old officer. Police have yet to officially release the name of the man who was shot, though it continues to be widely reported that his name was Antonio Martin.