St. Louis police officers shot dead a 23-year-old black man who had brandished a knife. The shooting, just 2.5 miles from Ferguson, is already inciting new tensions in the area.

Police Shoot Man 2.5 Miles From Ferguson

The St. Louis man who was shot and killed by police had allegedly stolen energy drinks and pastries from a nearby convenience store, reported NBC News. Police, responding to a call about the incident, found the man “acting erratically” while walking down the street. Eventually, the man took out a knife. When the two police officers told him to drop it, he did not, which ultimately lead to his shooting.

“The suspect, who right now is described as a 23-year-old African American, was acting erratically — walking back and forth up and down the street," St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson told reporters, according to CNN.

"As officers arrived, the suspect turned towards the officers and started to walk towards them clutching his waistband. He then pulled out a knife … and told the officers, 'Shoot me now. Kill me now,'" the chief said.

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Witnesses at the scene have corroborated the police report, though they question the officers’ use of deadly force, according to MSNBC reporter Chris Hayes. Hayes also tweeted that people in the neighborhood claimed that the man who was shot was “mentally challenged.”

Following the shooting, a crowd of more than 100 people gathered at the scene. The congregated group was heard chanting, “Hands up! Don’t shoot!,” which has often been heard during the week of protests in Ferguson following the shooting death of the unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown. Brown's autopsy revealed that he was shot at least six times by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

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