The renewed clashes in St. Louis, Missouri on Saturday night between demonstrators and police in riot gear marred what had largely been a peaceful day of protests at various locations around the city.

Protesters gathered in the University City district had disbanded and planned to reassemble Sunday afternoon, but a small group refused to go. Police declared the scene an unlawful assembly and ordered them to disperse. Officers in riot gear moved in - demonstrators smashed windows and threw objects at police as they retreated. At least seven people were arrested.

Second night of confrontation

It followed similar clashes on Friday night, during which several officers were wounded and dozens of protesters arrested in scenes reminiscent of the racially charged unrest that erupted in nearby Ferguson in 2014.

Read more: Police reform in Ferguson

On Friday, what started as peaceful protests over the acquittal of white ex-police officer Jason Stockley in the fatal shooting of Anthony Lamar Smith, a black man, quickly escalated when demonstrators broke a window and splattered paint over St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson's house. That prompted riot police to respond by dispersing the crowd with tear gas and armored vehicles.

Two officers were hospitalized after protesters hurled bricks at them, the St. Louis police department said on Twitter.

Meanwhile, video footage posted online showed police dousing at least five protesters with pepper spray outside the courthouse where Stockley was acquitted.

Ahead of the ruling, activists had threatened civil disobedience, including possible efforts to shut down highways, if Stockley were not convicted. One group of protesters tried to climb onto one of the highways but was blocked by police. Another group cut off an intersection by sitting down silently in the middle of the street.

Ex-cop Stockley acquitted of first-degree murder

Stockley was found not guilty of first-degree murder after he fatally shot and killed Smith back in 2011. The court on Friday found that the State had failed to prove "every element of murder beyond a reasonable doubt" or had not "proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not act in self-defense."

According to Stockley, Smith had attempted to run over him and his partner after they encountered what appeared to be a drug deal in a fast-food restaurant parking lot. After chasing the Smith by car, Stockely opened fire through the driver's window after Smith allegedly tried to reach over to the passenger seat to grab a revolver.

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Police dashcam footage showed Stockley saying that he was "going to kill this (expletive), don't you know it," before shooting Smith five times, which, according to the prosecution, proved the officer had intended to kill Smith. Stockley's lawyer dismissed the remarks, saying they were "human emotions" uttered during a high-risk police pursuit.

Footage also showed Stockley reaching into a bag in the back of the police SUV before returning to Smith's car. The revolver Smith is alleged to have reached for did not have his DNA on it, although it had Stockley's.

However, Judge Timothy Wilson said he doubted the prosecution's claim that the gun was planted, writing in his ruling: "The court observes, based on its nearly 30 years on the bench, that an urban heroin dealer not in possession of a firearm would be an anomaly."

Following the ruling, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner acknowledged the difficulty of winning police shooting cases, but maintained that the prosecution had "offered sufficient evidence that proved beyond a reasonable doubt" that Stockley had intended to kill Smith.

Remnants of Ferguson

Friday's violent protests played out not far from the Missouri suburb of Ferguson, where Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old black man, was shot dead by a white policeman in 2014. The officer, Darren Wilson, was never charged, prompting weeks of civil unrest and giving rise to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Since then, several officers have also been acquitted in police shooting trials in Minnesota, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, while a case in Ohio twice ended in a hung jury with the prosecution deciding not to seek a third trial.

dm, se/rg (AP, Reuters)</s>A former St. Louis police officer was cleared of first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of a black man on Friday, in another case among many in which white police officers have been acquitted of killing black men recently.

A judge found former officer Jason Stockley “not guilty” of killing 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith, after Smith led officers on a high-speed chase in 2011.

Stockley and his partner claimed they’d attempted to corner Smith in a parking lot, after witnessing a drug deal.

According to Stockley, he saw Smith holding a gun, and felt he was in danger, however prosecutors said Stockley instead planted the gun in Smith’s vehicle after shooting him five times.

Police dashcam video captured Stockley stating he was “going to kill this (expletive), don’t you know it,” prior to the shooting, and also showed the officer go to his police car and dig through a bag before returning to Smith’s vehicle after the shooting, leading prosecutors to believe he’d planted the gun.

The gun had only Stockley’s DNA on it, and none of Smith’s.

Stockley opted to have his case heard in front of a judge instead of a jury, and St. Louis Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson wrote in his ruling Friday, “This Court, in conscience, cannot say that the State has proven every element of murder beyond a reasonable doubt, or that the State has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not act in self-defense.”

Prosecutors said they are disappointed with the ruling, and government officials have also called for calm in the wake of recent protests that have erupted in response to the verdict.

The fatal police shooting of Michael Brown, another officer-involved shooting of a black man that made national headlines, took place in nearby Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014.

Stockley left the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department in August 2013, and the St. Louis police board settled a wrongful death suit with Smith’s survivors for $900,000, following his departure.

Stockley’s partner was never charged with a crime.

Click here to comment on this article on our Facebook page.</s>(Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP). Officials begin erecting barricades outside the Thomas F. Eagleton federal courthouse in St. Louis on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017, before an expected verdict in the trial of former St. Louis Police office...

(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson). Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, right, and Christina Wilson, the fiancée of Anthony Lamar Smith, deliver a statement in anticipation of a verdict in the trial of former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley, Thursday, Sept. 14,...

(Family photo courtesy Christina Wilson via AP). This undated family photo supplied by Christina Wilson shows Anthony Lamar Smith holding his daughter Autumn Smith. Anthony Lamar Smith was killed in 2011 during a confrontation with police. A judge may ...

(St. Louis Police Department via AP, File). FILE - This undated file photo provided by the St. Louis Police Department shows former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley, who is charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the Decemb...

ST. LOUIS (AP) - A white former police officer was acquitted Friday in the 2011 death of a black man who was fatally shot following a high-speed chase, with the judge declaring that he would not be swayed by "partisan interests, public clamor or fear of criticism."

The acquittal of Jason Stockley in the death of Anthony Lamar Smith had stirred concerns about possible civil unrest for weeks. Several hundred protesters were marching in the streets of downtown St. Louis within hours of the verdict, but only a single arrest had been reported as of midday.

The case played out not far from the suburb of Ferguson, which was the scene of the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, the unarmed black 18-year-old who was killed by a white police officer in 2014. That officer was never charged but eventually resigned.

Stockley, who was charged with first-degree murder, insisted he saw Smith holding a gun and felt he was in imminent danger. Prosecutors said the officer planted a gun in Smith's car after the shooting. The officer asked the case to be decided by a judge instead of a jury.

"This court, in conscience, cannot say that the State has proven every element of murder beyond a reasonable doubt or that the State has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not act in self-defense," St. Louis Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson wrote in the decision .

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner said she was disappointed.

"While officer-involved shooting cases are extremely difficult to prevail in court, I believe we offered sufficient evidence that proved beyond a reasonable doubt" that Stockley intended to kill Smith, Gardner said in a written statement.

The head of the St. Louis chapter of the NAACP asked President Donald Trump and the Justice Department to review the acquittal.

Assistant Circuit Attorney Robert Steele emphasized during the trial last month that police dashcam video of the chase captured Stockley saying he was "going to kill this (expletive), don't you know it."

Less than a minute later, the officer shot Smith five times. Stockley's lawyer dismissed the comment as "human emotions" uttered during a dangerous police pursuit. The judge wrote that the statement "can be ambiguous depending on the context."

Prosecutors objected to the officer's request for a bench trial.

The Constitution guarantees the right of criminal suspects to have their cases heard "by an impartial jury." But defendants can also opt to have the verdict rendered by a judge.

Stockley, 36, could have been sentenced to up to life in prison without parole. He left the St. Louis police force in 2013 and moved to Houston.

The case was among several in recent years in which a white officer killed a black suspect. Officers were acquitted in recent police shooting trials in Minnesota, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. A case in Ohio twice ended with hung juries, and prosecutors have decided not to seek a third trial.

Ahead of the verdict, activists in St. Louis threatened civil disobedience if Stockley were acquitted, including possible efforts to shut down highways. Barricades went up on Aug. 28 around police headquarters, the courthouse where the trial was held and other potential protest sites.

Fears of unrest prompted several downtown businesses to send employees home early, including two of the biggest, Wells Fargo Advisors and Nestle Purina PetCare. U.S. Bank closed six branches. Some schools closed early and postponed events scheduled for Friday.

Protester efforts at civil disobedience were largely unsuccessful. When several demonstrators tried to rush onto Interstate 64, they were blocked on an entrance ramp by police cars and officers on bikes. When they tried to enter the city's convention center, the doors were locked.

At one point, a group of the protesters stood in front of a bus filled with officers in riot gear, blocking it from moving forward. When officers began pushing back the crowd, protesters resisted, and police responded with pepper spray, two women told The Associated Press.

Both women's faces had been doused with milk, which is used to counter the effects of pepper spray.

The Rev. Clinton Stancil, a protest leader, said the acquittal was shocking based on the evidence but not surprising.

"It's a sad day in St. Louis, and it's a sad day to be an American," Stancil said.

One man was arrested for damaging a police vehicle. There were also scattered reports of protesters attacking journalists, authorities said.

The St. Louis area has a history of unrest in similar cases, including after Brown's death, when protests, some of them violent, erupted.

In Smith's case, the encounter began when Stockley and his partner tried to corner Smith in a fast-food restaurant parking lot after seeing what appeared to be a drug deal. Stockley testified that he saw what he believed was a gun, and his partner yelled "gun!" as Smith backed into the police SUV twice to get away.

Stockley's attorney, Neil Bruntrager, argued that Smith, a 24-year-old parole violator with previous convictions for gun and drug crimes, tried to run over the two officers. Stockley fired seven shots as Smith sped away. A chase ensued.

At the end of the chase, Stockley opened fire only when Smith, still in his car, refused commands to put up his hands and reached along the seat "in the area where the gun was," Bruntrager said. Stockley said he climbed into Smith's car and found a revolver between the center console and passenger seat.

But prosecutors questioned why Stockley dug into a bag in the back seat of the police SUV before returning to Smith's car.

The gun found in Smith's car did not have his DNA on it, but it did have Stockley's.

Associated Press Writer Summer Ballentine contributed to this report.

Sign up for the AP's weekly newsletter showcasing our best reporting from the Midwest and Texas: http://apne.ws/2u1RMfv .

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>ST. LOUIS (AP) — A judge acquitted a white former St. Louis police officer Friday in the death of a black man who was fatally shot following a high-speed chase in 2011.

The acquittal of Jason Stockley in the death of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith came amid concerns of significant unrest, but St. Louis Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson wrote that he was bound by the Code of Judicial Conduct to not be swayed by “partisan interests, public clamor or fear of criticism.” About 100 protesters were marching in downtown St. Louis within hours of the verdict being released.

Stockley, who shot Smith five times, was charged with first-degree murder. The officer said he saw Smith holding a gun and felt he was in imminent danger, but prosecutors said Stockley planted a gun in Smith’s car after he shot him.

“This court, in conscience, cannot say that the State has proven every element of murder beyond a reasonable doubt or that the State has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not act in self-defense,” Wilson wrote.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner said she was disappointed.

“While officer-involved shooting cases are extremely difficult to prevail in court, I believe we offered sufficient evidence that proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Jason Stockley intended to kill Mr. Smith,” Gardner said in a written statement.

Assistant Circuit Attorney Robert Steele emphasized during the trial last month that police dashcam video of the chase captured Stockley saying he was “going to kill this (expletive), don’t you know it.” Less than a minute later, the officer fatally shot Smith. Stockley’s lawyer dismissed the comment as “human emotions” amid a dangerous police pursuit.

Stockley, 36, could have been sentenced to up to life in prison without parole. He left St. Louis’ police force in 2013 and moved to Houston.

It is unusual for officers to be charged with killing suspects while on duty, and few officers have been convicted in such deaths. Stockley requested that the case be heard by a judge rather than a jury despite objections from prosecutors.

Ahead of the verdict, activists in St. Louis threatened civil disobedience if Stockley were acquitted, including possible efforts to shut down highways. Amid the growing uneasiness, the mayor and an attorney for Smith’s fiance called for calm. Gov. Eric Greitens met with and assured black faith leaders that peaceful protesters’ rights would be protected, but later stressed that violence wouldn’t be tolerated.

Barricades went up on Aug. 28 around police headquarters, the courthouse where the trial was held, and other sites of recent or potential protests. Police said they were being proactive to ensure safety “due to recent events around the country.” The St. Louis area has a history of unrest in such cases, including after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson in 2014. Protests, some of them violent, erupted after the black 18-year-old, who was unarmed, was killed by a white police officer. The officer wasn’t charged but later resigned. In Smith’s case, the encounter began when Stockley and his partner tried to corner Smith in a fast-food restaurant parking lot after seeing what appeared to be a drug deal. Stockley testified that he saw what he believed was a gun, and his partner yelled “gun!” as Smith backed into the police SUV twice to get away. Stockley’s attorney, Neil Bruntrager, argued that Smith, a parole violator with previous convictions for gun and drug crimes, tried to run over the two officers. Stockley fired seven shots as Smith sped away. A chase ensued. At the end of the chase, Stockley opened fire only when Smith, still in his car, refused commands to put up his hands and reached along the seat “in the area where the gun was,” Bruntrager said. Stockley said he climbed into Smith’s car and found a revolver stuffed between the center console and passenger seat. But prosecutors questioned why Stockley dug into a bag in the back seat of the police SUV before returning to Smith’s car. The gun found in Smith’s car didn’t have his DNA on it, but it did have Stockley’s. The case was among several in recent years in which a white officer killed a black suspect. Officers were acquitted in recent police shooting trials in Minnesota, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. A case in Ohio twice ended with hung juries, and prosecutors have decided not to seek a third trial. WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON:
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• ‘WORST 45 MIN. OF MY LIFE:’ POLICE WARN OF KIDNAPPING SCAM</s>ST. LOUIS (AP) — A judge acquitted a white former St. Louis police officer today in the death of a black man who was fatally shot after a high-speed chase in 2011.

The acquittal of Jason Stockley in the death of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith came amid concerns of significant unrest, but St. Louis Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson wrote he was bound by the Code of Judicial Conduct to not be swayed by "partisan interests, public clamor or fear of criticism." About 100 protesters were marching in downtown St. Louis within hours of the verdict being released.

Stockley, who shot Smith five times, was charged with first-degree murder. The officer said he saw Smith holding a gun and felt he was in imminent danger, but prosecutors said Stockley planted a gun in Smith's car after he shot him.

"This court, in conscience, cannot say that the State has proven every element of murder beyond a reasonable doubt or that the State has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not act in self-defense," Wilson wrote.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner said she was disappointed.

"While officer-involved shooting cases are extremely difficult to prevail in court, I believe we offered sufficient evidence that proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Jason Stockley intended to kill Mr. Smith," Gardner said in a written statement.

Assistant Circuit Attorney Robert Steele emphasized during the trial last month that police dashcam video of the chase captured Stockley saying he was "going to kill this (expletive), don't you know it." Less than a minute later, the officer fatally shot Smith. Stockley's lawyer dismissed the comment as "human emotions" amid a dangerous police pursuit.

Stockley, 36, could have been sentenced to up to life in prison without parole. He left St. Louis' police force in 2013 and moved to Houston.</s>ST. LOUIS — A judge acquitted a white former St. Louis police officer of murder in the 2011 killing of a black drug suspect.

Judge Timothy Wilson found the former officer, Jason Stockley, not guilty of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith. The bench ruling came more than a month after testimony concluded.

Activists had threatened civil disobedience if Stockley was acquitted, and authorities took steps to deal with that scenario. All three downtown courthouses, including the federal courthouse, and some city schools were closed on in anticipation of the verdict.

The police department said officers would be working 12-hour shifts starting Friday and Mayor Lyda Krewson said the State Highway Patrol and St. Louis County police would provide support, with the patrol handling any protests on state highways.

Republican Gov. Eric Greitens, meanwhile, put the National Guard on standby in case of unrest. He and the mayor urged protesters to be peaceful, a sentiment echoed by Smith's fiancée, Christina Wilson.

Here's a look at the case:

Stockley and his partner saw what appeared to be a drug transaction in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant on Dec. 20, 2011. As the officers sought to corner Smith, he drove away. Stockley's defense attorney, Neil Bruntrager, said the officers were nearly run over. Stockley fired at the fleeing car, then a car chase began.

Police dashcam video captured Stockley saying, "going to kill this (expletive), don't you know it," in the midst of the chase. As Smith's car slowed, Stockley told his partner to slam the police SUV into it, and his partner did so. Stockley then got out of the SUV and fired five shots into Smith's car, killing him.

Bruntrager said Stockley fired only after Smith refused commands to put up his hands and reached along the seat toward an area where a gun was found. But prosecutors said Stockley planted the gun. Testing found Stockley's DNA on the gun, but not Smith's.

Stockley, now 36, graduated from a Catholic high school in nearby Belleville, Illinois, then went to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. After graduation, he served in Iraq, where he was injured and awarded the Army Bronze Star. Stockley joined the St. Louis Police Department in 2007. He resigned in 2013, about two years after the shooting, and moved to Houston.

Smith had a 1-year-old daughter when he died. His family has not disclosed much about him. Court records show he had a criminal record that included convictions for unlawful possession of a firearm and drug distribution. At the time of the shooting, he was on probation for a theft charge related to a 2010 crime in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson. In 2013, the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners reached a $900,000 settlement with Smith's family, ending a wrongful-death lawsuit filed on behalf of Smith's daughter.

The circuit attorney's office initially decided not to charge Stockley, but police internal affairs brought new evidence in March 2016. Then-Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce announced in May 2016 that Stockley was charged with first-degree murder.

The new evidence wasn't disclosed, but the St. Louis Post-Dispatch obtained the dashboard camera video and published it soon after charges were announced. The footage outraged activists.

Prosecutors opted not to pursue the death penalty. Stockley chose to have the case decided by a judge, rather than a jury, and the judge agreed despite the objections of prosecutors.

Police and courts in the St. Louis area have been under scrutiny since the 2014 fatal shooting by police of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson. Brown, who was black and unarmed, was fatally shot by a white officer after they skirmished in a street. Weeks of often-violent protests followed, and violence was renewed that November after a grand jury declined to indict the officer, who resigned that month.

Since then, police have fatally shot several other black suspects in St. Louis. Stockley is the only St. Louis police officer to be charged with murder in recent years.</s>ST. LOUIS (AP) — A judge found a white former St. Louis police officer not guilty of first-degree murder on Friday in the death of a black man who was fatally shot following a high-speed chase in 2011.

The former officer, Jason Stockley, shot 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith five times. The officer said he saw Smith holding a gun and felt he was in imminent danger, but prosecutors said Stockley planted a gun in Smith’s car after he shot him.

Assistant Circuit Attorney Robert Steele emphasized during the trial that police dashcam video of the chase captured Stockley saying he was “going to kill this (expletive), don’t you know it.” Less than a minute later, the officer fatally shot Smith. Stockley’s lawyer dismissed the comment as “human emotions” amid a dangerous police pursuit.

Stockley, 36, could have been sentenced to up to life in prison without parole. He left St. Louis’ police force in 2013 and moved to Houston.

It is unusual for officers to be charged with killing suspects while on duty, and few officers have been convicted in such deaths. Stockley’s verdict was handed down by Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson, who oversaw the bench trial. Stockley requested that the case be heard by a judge rather than a jury despite objections from prosecutors.

Ahead of the verdict, activists in St. Louis threatened civil disobedience if Stockley were acquitted, including possible efforts to shut down highways. Amid the growing uneasiness, the mayor and an attorney for Smith’s fiance publicly urged for calm. Gov. Eric Greitens met with and assured black faith leaders that peaceful protesters’ rights would be protected, but later stressed that violence wouldn’t be tolerated.

Barricades went up on Aug. 28 around police headquarters, the courthouse where the trial was held, and other sites of recent or potential protests. Police said they were being proactive to ensure safety “due to recent events around the country.”

The St. Louis area has a history of unrest in such cases, including after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson in 2014. Protests, some of them violent, erupted after the black 18-year-old, who was unarmed, was killed by a white police officer. The officer wasn’t charged but later resigned.

In Smith’s case, the encounter began when Stockley and his partner tried to corner Smith in a fast-food restaurant parking lot after seeing what appeared to be a drug deal. Stockley testified that he saw what he believed was a gun, and his partner yelled “gun!” as Smith backed into the police SUV twice to get away.

Stockley’s attorney, Neil Bruntrager, argued that Smith, a parole violator with previous convictions for gun and drug crimes, tried to run over the two officers. Stockley fired seven shots as Smith sped away. A chase ensued.

At the end of the chase, Stockley opened fire only when Smith, still in his car, refused commands to put up his hands and reached along the seat “in the area where the gun was,” Bruntrager said. Stockley said he climbed into Smith’s car and found a revolver stuffed between the center console and passenger seat.

But prosecutors questioned why Stockley dug into a bag in the back seat of the police SUV before returning to Smith’s car.

The gun found in Smith’s car didn’t have his DNA on it, but it did have Stockley’s.

The case was among several in recent years in which a white officer killed a black suspect. Officers were acquitted in recent police shooting trials in Minnesota, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. A case in Ohio twice ended with hung juries, and prosecutors have decided not to seek a third trial.</s>A protester records on her phone as tear gas drifts from a neighbourhood during a protest action following a not guilty verdict on Sept. 15, 2017 in St. Louis, Mo. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

A protester is helped after being sprayed with pepper spray during a protest action following a not guilty verdict on Sept. 15, 2017 in St. Louis, Mo. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

Law enforcement officers stand guard during a protest action following a not guilty verdict on Sept. 15, 2017 in St. Louis, Mo. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

Law enforcement officers stand guard during a protest action following a not guilty verdict on Sept. 15, 2017 in St. Louis, Mo. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

Law enforcement officers stand guard during a protest action following a not guilty verdict on Sept. 15, 2017 in St. Louis, Mo. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

Law enforcement officers direct protestors during a protest action following a not guilty verdict on Sept. 15, 2017 in St. Louis, Mo. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

Law enforcement officers stand guard outside a coffee house during a protest action following a not guilty verdict on Sept. 15, 2017 in St. Louis, Mo. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

Law enforcement officers stand guard during a protest action following a not guilty verdict on Sept. 15, 2017 in St. Louis, Mo. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

Law enforcement officers stand guard during a protest action following a not guilty verdict on Sept. 15, 2017 in St. Louis, Mo. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

Protesters march down, Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, in downtown St. Louis, after a judge found a white former St. Louis police officer, Jason Stockley, not guilty of first-degree murder in the death of a black man, Anthony Lamar Smith, who was fatally shot following a high-speed chase in 2011. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Protesters gather, Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, in St. Louis, after a judge found a white former St. Louis police officer, Jason Stockley, not guilty of first-degree murder in the death of a black man, Anthony Lamar Smith, who was fatally shot following a high-speed chase in 2011. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

A flag is set on fire as protesters gather, Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, in St. Louis, after a judge found a white former St. Louis police officer, Jason Stockley, not guilty of first-degree murder in the death of a black man, Anthony Lamar Smith, who was fatally shot following a high-speed chase in 2011. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

This undated file photo provided by the St. Louis Police Department shows former police officer Jason Stockley. (St. Louis Police Department via AP, File)

ST. LOUIS — A white former police officer was acquitted Friday in the 2011 death of a black man who was fatally shot following a high-speed chase, and hundreds of demonstrators streamed into the streets of downtown St. Louis and later an upscale neighbourhood to protest the verdict that had stirred fears of civil unrest for weeks.

Ahead of the acquittal, activists had threatened civil disobedience if Jason Stockley were not convicted, including possible efforts to shut down highways. Barricades went up last month around police headquarters, the courthouse where the trial was held and other potential protest sites. Protesters were marching within hours of the decision.

More than a dozen arrests were made, and several officers were hurt as the day went on.

The case played out not far from the suburb of Ferguson, Missouri, which was the scene of the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, the unarmed black 18-year-old who was killed by a white police officer in 2014. That officer was never charged and eventually resigned.

Stockley, who was charged with first-degree murder, insisted he saw 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith holding a gun and felt he was in imminent danger. Prosecutors said the officer planted a gun in Smith’s car after the shooting.

In an interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch , Stockley said he understands how the video of him fatally shooting Smith looks bad to investigators and the public, but he said the optics have to be separated from the facts and he did nothing wrong.

“I can feel for and I understand what the family is going through, and I know everyone wants someone to blame, but I’m just not the guy,” he said.

Stockley, 36, asked the case to be decided by a judge instead of a jury. Prosecutors objected to his request for a bench trial.

“This court, in conscience, cannot say that the State has proven every element of murder beyond a reasonable doubt or that the State has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not act in self-defence,” St. Louis Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson wrote in the decision .

In a written statement, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner acknowledged the difficulty of winning police shooting cases but said prosecutors believe they “offered sufficient evidence that proved beyond a reasonable doubt” that Stockley intended to kill Smith.

Assistant Circuit Attorney Robert Steele emphasized during the trial that police dashcam video of the chase captured Stockley saying he was “going to kill this (expletive), don’t you know it.”

Less than a minute later, the officer shot Smith five times. Stockley’s lawyer dismissed the comment as “human emotions” uttered during a dangerous police pursuit. The judge wrote that the statement “can be ambiguous depending on the context.”

Stockley, who left St. Louis’ police force in 2013 and moved to Houston, could have been sentenced to up to life in prison without parole.

The case was among several in recent years in which a white officer killed a black suspect. Officers were acquitted in recent police shooting trials in Minnesota, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. A case in Ohio twice ended with hung juries, and prosecutors have decided not to seek a third trial.

“It’s a sad day in St. Louis, and it’s a sad day to be an American,” the Rev. Clinton Stancil, a protest leader, said regarding the acquittal.

The crowd of protesters included blacks, whites and other races. Some people carried guns, which state law allows.

Efforts at civil disobedience were largely unsuccessful. When several demonstrators tried to rush onto Interstate 64, they were blocked on an entrance ramp by police cars and officers on bikes. When they tried to enter the city’s convention centre, the doors were locked.

At times, things escalated. Earlier in the day, protesters stood in front of a bus filled with officers in riot gear, blocking it from moving forward. When officers began pushing back the crowd, protesters resisted and police responded with pepper spray. Later, protesters surrounded a police vehicle and damaged it with rocks. Some in the crowd threw rocks and pieces of curbing at police who tried to secure the vehicle. That led to officers using pepper spray again.

As night came, hundreds of protesters moved to St. Louis’ upscale Central West End section, where they marched and chanted as people looked on from restaurants and hospital windows lining busy Kingshighway. The group tried marching onto I-64 again, but police blocked their path.

Following a mostly silent sit-in, protesters resumed marching. Some demonstrators burned an American flag as others cheered.

After protesters broke a front window and splattered red paint at St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson’s home, police in bulletproof vests and helmets arrived and demanded they get off the lawn and out of the street in front of the house. Officers used tear gas to try to move the crowd out of the area.

Krewson had called for calm and understanding ahead of the verdict and later said she was appalled by what happened to Smith and “sobered” by the outcome.

Some journalists covering the protests said they were targets of threats and violence from demonstrators. A freelance Associated Press videographer said a protester threw his camera to the ground and damaged it. He said later he was using a different camera and protesters told him they would beat him if he didn’t put it away. A KTVI reporter said water bottles were thrown at him after a protester taunted him, drawing a crowd.

The St. Louis area has a history of unrest in similar cases, including after Brown’s death, when protests, some of them violent, erupted.

In Smith’s case, the encounter began when Stockley and his partner tried to corner Smith in a fast-food restaurant parking lot after seeing what appeared to be a drug deal. Stockley testified that he saw what he believed was a gun, and his partner yelled “gun!” as Smith backed into the police SUV twice to get away.

Stockley’s attorney, Neil Bruntrager, argued that Smith tried to run over the two officers. Stockley fired seven shots as Smith sped away. A chase ensued.

At the end of the chase, Stockley opened fire only when Smith, still in his car, refused commands to put up his hands and reached along the seat “in the area where the gun was,” Bruntrager said. Stockley said he climbed into Smith’s car and found a revolver between the centre console and passenger seat.

But prosecutors questioned why Stockley dug into a bag in the back seat of the police SUV before returning to Smith’s car.

The gun found in Smith’s car did not have his DNA on it, but it did have Stockley’s.

Associated Press Writer Summer Ballentine contributed to this report.</s>A judge acquitted a white former St. Louis police officer of murder in the 2011 killing of a black drug suspect, a decision that could spark protests.

Judge Timothy Wilson found the former officer, Jason Stockley, not guilty of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith. The bench ruling came more than a month after testimony concluded.

Activists had threatened civil disobedience if Stockley was acquitted, and authorities took steps to deal with that scenario. All three downtown courthouses, including the federal courthouse, and some city schools were closed on Friday in anticipation of the verdict.

The police department said officers would be working 12-hour shifts starting Friday, and Mayor Lyda Krewson said the Missouri Highway Patrol and St. Louis County police would provide support, with the patrol handling any protests on state highways.

Republican Gov. Eric Greitens, meanwhile, put the National Guard on standby in case of unrest. He and the mayor urged protesters to be peaceful, a sentiment echoed by Smith's fiancée, Christina Wilson.

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The incredible stories of the die-hards who looked Irma in the face — and stayed</s>A white former police officer was acquitted Friday in the 2011 death of a black man who was fatally shot following a high-speed chase, and hundreds of demonstrators streamed into the streets of downtown St. Louis to protest the decision that had stirred fears of civil unrest for weeks.

Ahead of the acquittal, activists threatened civil disobedience if Jason Stockley were not convicted, including possible efforts to shut down highways. Barricades went up last month around police headquarters, the courthouse where the trial was held and other potential protest sites.

Protesters were on the march within hours of the decision. By mid-afternoon, officers had used pepper spray on some demonstrators.

The judge who decided the matter declared that he would not be swayed by "partisan interests, public clamour or fear of criticism."

The case played out not far from the suburb of Ferguson, which was the scene of the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, the unarmed black 18-year-old who was killed by a white police officer in 2014. That officer was never charged but eventually resigned.
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Stockley, who was charged with first-degree murder, insisted he saw Anthony Lamar Smith holding a gun and felt he was in imminent danger. Prosecutors said the officer planted a gun in Smith's car after the shooting. The officer asked the case to be decided by a judge instead of a jury.

"This court, in conscience, cannot say that the state has proven every element of murder beyond a reasonable doubt or that the state has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not act in self-defence," St. Louis Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson wrote in the decision.

In a written statement, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner acknowledged the difficulty of winning police shooting cases, but said prosecutors believe they "offered sufficient evidence that proved beyond a reasonable doubt" that Stockley intended to kill Smith.

The head of the St. Louis chapter of the NAACP asked President Donald Trump and the Justice Department to review the acquittal.

Assistant Circuit Attorney Robert Steele emphasized during the trial that police dashcam video of the chase captured Stockley saying he was "going to kill this [expletive], don't you know it."

Less than a minute later, the officer shot Smith five times. Stockley's lawyer dismissed the comment as "human emotions" uttered during a dangerous police pursuit. The judge wrote that the statement "can be ambiguous depending on the context."

Prosecutors objected to the officer's request for a bench trial.

The constitution guarantees the right of criminal suspects to have their cases heard "by an impartial jury." But defendants can also opt to have the verdict rendered by a judge.

Stockley, 36, could have been sentenced to up to life in prison without parole. He left the St. Louis police force in 2013 and moved to Houston.

One of several officer acquittals

The case was among several in recent years in which a white officer killed a black suspect. Officers were acquitted in recent police shooting trials in Minnesota, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. A case in Ohio twice ended with hung juries, and prosecutors have decided not to seek a third trial.

Fears of unrest prompted several downtown businesses to send employees home early, including two of the biggest, Wells Fargo Advisors and Nestle Purina PetCare. U.S. Bank closed six branches. Some schools closed early and postponed events scheduled for Friday.

Protester efforts at civil disobedience were largely unsuccessful. When several demonstrators tried to rush onto Interstate 64, they were blocked on an entrance ramp by police cars and officers on bikes. When they tried to enter the city's convention centre, the doors were locked.

At one point, a group of the protesters stood in front of a bus filled with officers in riot gear, blocking it from moving forward. When officers began pushing back the crowd, protesters resisted, and police responded with pepper spray, two women told The Associated Press.

Both women's faces had been doused with milk, which is used to counter the effects of pepper spray.

The Rev. Clinton Stancil, a protest leader, said the acquittal was shocking based on the evidence but not surprising.

"It's a sad day in St. Louis, and it's a sad day to be an American," Stancil said.

One man was arrested for damaging a police vehicle. There were also scattered reports of protesters attacking journalists, authorities said.

The St. Louis area has a history of unrest in similar cases, including after Brown's death, when protests erupted, some of them violent.

In Smith's case, the encounter began when Stockley and his partner tried to corner Smith in a fast-food restaurant parking lot after seeing what appeared to be a drug deal. Stockley testified that he saw what he believed was a gun, and his partner yelled "gun!" as Smith backed into the police SUV twice to get away.

Stockley's attorney, Neil Bruntrager, argued that Smith, a 24-year-old parole violator with previous convictions for gun and drug crimes, tried to run over the two officers. Stockley fired seven shots as Smith sped away. A chase ensued.

At the end of the chase, Stockley opened fire only when Smith, still in his car, refused commands to put up his hands and reached along the seat "in the area where the gun was," Bruntrager said. Stockley said he climbed into Smith's car and found a revolver between the centre console and passenger seat.

But prosecutors questioned why Stockley dug into a bag in the back seat of the police SUV before returning to Smith's car.

The gun found in Smith's car did not have his DNA on it, but it did have Stockley's.
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The ex-police officer involved in a fatal 2011 shooting of a black man in St. Louis, Missouri is acquitted of all charges related to the case.