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Police fatally shoot armed man in St. Louis suburb

JENNINGS, Mo. - St. Louis County police officers shot and killed a man after he pointed a rifle at them during a chase in suburban St. Louis on Wednesday night. The incident took place less than five miles from the site of the August shooting of a black 18-year-old by a white Ferguson officer that sparked weeks of unrest.

Authorities didn't immediately release any identifying information, including the race, of either the suspect or the officers.

County police were called to a home in Jennings twice Wednesday night by a woman who said an armed man was knocking on her door, Sgt. Brian Schellman told The Associated Press. CBS affiliate KMOV reports police said the suspect was carrying a "sawed off shotgun."

When officers came the second time, they saw the man leaving in a car and reaching for a long gun in the passenger seat, Schellman said. When the officers tried to make contact, the man sped up, striking two police cars and causing the officers to jump out of the way. The man then got out of the vehicle and ran away on foot.

The foot chase went into a construction area, where the man went behind a construction vehicle, Schellman said. He turned toward the officers and pointed the rifle at them. The officers opened fire and the man died at the scene, Schellman said.

Schellman said he did not know if the suspect fired his rifle but said authorities recovered it and it was loaded. The officers were not injured.

He said the suspect knew the woman who lived at the home.

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