US police have clashed with protesters in Missouri after an officer shot dead a black teenager close to where another black youth, Michael Brown, was killed in August sparking national protests.

A crowd of about 100 gathered at the scene in St Louis early on Wednesday after scuffles the night before.

Police said the man who was shot, Antonio Martin, 18, had pointed a gun at the police officer.

For weeks there have been widespread protests over alleged police brutality.

Berkeley is about two miles (3km) from the St Louis suburb of Ferguson, where 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot dead by a white officer.

'Bad choices made'

St Louis County police chief Jon Belmar said a police officer was responding to a call about a theft when he saw Mr Martin and another man at a petrol station in North Hanley Road and approached them.

He said that Mr Martin pointed a handgun at the officer, and the officer responded by firing three shots. One of the shots hit Mr Martin, he said.

The officer "responded with what he thought was commensurate force at the time", Col Belmar said, adding that "most of us would feel in imminent danger of losing our lives at that point".

(BBC)