WASHINGTON, October 10 (RIA Novosti) — Protests are beginning to swell throughout the St. Louis Missouri region, after 18-year-old African-American Vonderrick Myers was shot to death by an off duty police officer Wednesday night.
"We are prepared for anything, there've been protests every night," said St. Louis County Police Sgt. Brian Schellman, who has overseen protests on a daily basis since another African-American male was shot and killed in the region just two months ago.
Schellman told RIA Novosti he predicted that local authorities would need to respond to not just one, but various protests throughout the region as civil rights groups prepare for the October Ferguson protests that will start on Friday and last until Monday.
"We are going to deal with it [the protests] as it comes and we're not exactly sure what to expect," said Schellman.
St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said during a press briefing late on Thursday that the officer, whose name is still unknown, fired his weapon 17 times. Dotson added however, that Myers was the first shooter and shot a total of three shots at the officer but did not know how many of the officer's shots had hit Myers.
According to Dotson, no arrests have been made and the investigation is still ongoing.
Myer's mother, Syreeta Myers told the Associated Press on Thursday that her son was unarmed and was carrying a sandwich when he was killed.
On August 9, 18-year-old African-American Michael Brown was shot to death by a white police officer Darren Wilson that sparked massive protests throughout the region forcing the state's Governor to issue a state of emergency in the Ferguson and impose a curfew during the investigation.
