Antonio Martin
The scene of the shooting in Berkeley, Missouri. Twitter / ValerieHahn

UPDATE: A previous version of this article relayed comments made by an alleged friend to Antonio Martin to the Huffington Post, stating that he was with Martin at the time of the incident. Jesus Christo has since confirmed that his account of events was false and that the comments he gave to the Huffington Post were fabricated.

St Louis County Police have released a statement confirming that they are to conduct an investigation into the shooting of a black teenager in the town of Berkeley, Missouri.

The victim has been identified as 18-year-old Antonio Martin and the incident took place near the flashpoint town of Ferguson where teenager Michael Brown was killed by officer Darren Wilson earlier this year.

Initial reports from witnesses suggest that Martin was unarmed while others claim that a gun was found at the scene. Whether Martin was armed or not at the time of the incident could be immediately verified.

However, St Louis County Police said that the officer approached two subjects when one allegedly "pulled a handgun and pointed it at the officer".

In reply and "fearing for his life", the officer "fired several shots, striking the subject, fatally wounding him".

Full statement from the St Louis County Police below:

The St. Louis County Police Department is conducting an investigation into a shooting death involving a Berkeley, Missouri police officer.

At approximately 11:15 PM on December 23, 2014, a police officer with the City of Berkeley was conducting a routine business check at the Mobile Gas Station located at 6800 N. Hanley when he observed two male subjects on the side of the building.

The Berkeley Police Officer exited his vehicle and approached the subjects when one of the men pulled a handgun and pointed it at the officer. Fearing for his life, the Berkeley Officer fired several shots, striking the subject, fatally wounding him. The second subject fled the scene.

The Berkeley Police Department requested the St. Louis County Police Department's Crimes Against Persons Unit to handle the investigation. St. Louis County Police Detectives have recovered the deceased subject's handgun at the scene.

At this time, we cannot confirm the identity of the deceased subject. The investigation is on-going and further details will be provided as the investigation proceeds.

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