Two U.S. police officers on Tuesday killed 25-year-old African American young man after a report of robbery in St. Louis.

Two U.S. police officers on Tuesday killed 25-year-old African American young man after a report of robbery in Ferguson city in St. Louis County of Missouri.

Mike Brown was suspected of stealing two energy drinks from a convenience store and was wielding a knife and acting erratically. He had allegedly a knife in his pocket.

The victim could be heard shouting “Shoot me! Shoot me!” He retreats and then walks towards officers again, who fire on him, American media outlets reported.

He was killed four miles from Ferguson, Missouri, the scene of ongoing protests over the death of Michael Brown, 18, who was shot to death by police on August 9.

Sam Dotson, the St Louis City chief of police, said the man did not respond to demands to drop his weapon as he approached the officers, carrying the knife with an overhand gesture.

"The man was within three to four feet of the officers when they shot him. I think officer safety is the number one issue," Dotson said.

The city of Ferguson issued a plea for “nighttime quiet and reconciliation” following the previous night’s protests, which saw at least 78 people arrested.

Despite intervention by the national guard, law enforcement could not quell the chaos at last night’s demonstrations.

Protest marches continue, with small groups of people marching down West Florissant, a major street which a short time ago police said they will be closing to through traffic.

A grand jury will hear from witnesses to the shooting of Michael Brown on Wednesday, according to the Washington Post.

“We know this is of interest to a lot of people around the country,” Edward Magee, a spokesperson for the office of St Louis County prosecuting attorney Robert McCulloch, told The Washington Post. “We’re going to do this fairly and also attempt to do it in a timely manner.”

Evidence will be presented to a 12 member jury so they can determine whether or not the information is sufficient return an indictment on the case.