A prayer vigil on Sunday morning meant to pay respects to Michael Brown, a teenager killed by police on Saturday, turned into a riot of looting and destruction of property in St. Louis, Missouri Sunday evening.

The vigil was a reaction to the killing of an unarmed Brown in a St. Louis suburb by police on Saturday afternoon.

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St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar explained in a statement that a police officer encountered Brown and another person on the street in the suburb of Ferguson.

Belmar said that an investigation is underway so he does not know the details, but an altercation occurred and the officer, who had gotten out of his car to address the two, was pushed back in and a struggle ensued.

The officer drew his gun and fired at least one shot from inside the police car, after which the struggle came out to the street, where Brown was shot multiple times.

The Sunday prayer vigil brought locals in the number of a few hundred to the front of the Ferguson Police headquarters, at times throwing their hands up in the air and chanting "Don't shoot me".

Officers did not use force and the crowd dispersed, only to return at night as a mob.

150 officers in riot gear were called to the scene as the mob vandalized cars and smashed through a QuikTrip convenience store to loot "Everything", a teenage girl told KMOV. "They destroyed everything."

At least 12 businesses were broken into and looted. The QuikTrip convenience store was set on fire.

20 police cars were damaged that evening, Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson told KTLA.

Lesley McSpadden had no compassion for the officer that shot her son. "I would like to see him fired," she said. "I would like to see him go to jail with the death penalty."

John Gaskin, who serves on the NAACP board of directors, lamented the event. "We're outraged because yet again a young African-American man has been killed by law enforcement."

The other person that was with Brown has not been arrested or detained, but is expected to be interviewed by police.

The Associated Press reported that some youths spray-painted "R.I.P. Michael" on the street.

Tagspolice, killing, America gun violence, police brutality, teenager