St. Louis cops shoot, kill knife-wielding man outside Ferguson

An unidentified black man was shot and killed by police Tuesday afternoon in north St. Louis, just miles outside of Ferguson, where protesters and police are in a tense standoff following the Aug. 9 shooting death of Michael Brown.

Police on Tuesday afternoon responded to a robbery at a convenience store and found a 23-year-old who witnesses say was “acting erratically.” The man reportedly charged the two officers with a knife, forcing them to shoot him in self-defense, according to St. Louis police chief Sam Dotson. Witnesses told police that the man said “shoot me, kill me now.” He was reportedly within four feet of the officers when they opened fire, Dotson said at a press conference.

Both officers have been placed on administrative duty while authorities conduct an internal investigation. The shooting victim has not yet been identified.