A 23-year-old African American man was fatally shot by St. Louis police after authorities say he brandished a knife and stole from a convenience store.

The robbery suspect, who has not been identified, was shot by police in north St. Louis Tuesday afternoon, only miles away from Ferguson, Missouri, where the killing of African American teen Michael Brown by a white cop has sparked a string of protests, reports USA Today.

Authorities say that the young man stole two energy drinks from a local store, and then went back into the store and took a package of muffins without paying. That's when the store owner called police.

Another local business owner also called police because he became alarmed by the suspect, who was pacing back and forth.

"The suspect, who right now is described as a 23-year-old African-American, was acting erratically -- walking back and forth up and down the street," said St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson during a news conference, reports CNN.

According to the chief, when police arrived on the scene, the suspect approached them while holding a knife and yelling "shoot me now."

"As officers arrived, the suspect turned towards the officers and started to walk towards them clutching his waistband. He then pulled out a knife ... and told the officers, 'Shoot me now. Kill me now,'" said Dotson.

The officers repeatedly gave the man a verbal warning to stop and drop his knife, but he did not yield and came within about four feet of one of the officers. That's when both officers opened fired, said Dotson.

The officers were not injured during the incident.

Dotson stressed the importance of officer safety when reporters asked him whether he was concerned that Tuesday's shooting would provoke violence amongst Ferguson protesters.

"If you're the family of a police officer and somebody approaches you within three feet with a knife, I think you have the right to defend yourself and protect yourself. So I think it certainly is reasonable that an officer has an expectation to go home at the end of the night," he said.