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10 Aug 2015

Ferguson: man critically injured after protest shooting

Shots were fired at a memorial service in Ferguson, Missouri, marking the anniversary of the death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown.

A young black man is in a critical and unstable condition in hospital following a shooting in Ferguson on the first anniversary of Michael Brown’s death, according to St Louis County Police Department.

Clashes erupted between riot police and protesters last night, following a day of peaceful events to commemorate the death of the teenager who was killed last year by a white police officer.

Police, wearing riot gear and firing tear gas, tried to disperse demonstrators who were blocking traffic and smashing windows along the same street that was the focal point of last year’s unrest.

Cameras caught the profile of one man, as he opened fire with a handgun, partly obscured by cars parked outside a group of shops.

St Louis County Police Department Chief Jon Belmar said a man opened fire on a police vehicle and officers returned fire and pursued the man leading to a gun battle in which the man was injured.

He said the shooting started between two groups of people at the event on West Florissant Avenue. One man, who police believe was armed, ran across a car park and four plainclothes detectives pulled up in an unmarked car and confronted him.

The man opened fire on the police car and was shot at by officers, Mr Belmar said.

The man who was shot has not been named and is believed to be in his 20s. Police said he is in a critical condition in hospital and is undergoing surgery.

“This individual is not identified yet. We don’t know who he is. These are tragedies, make no mistake. It’s a tragedy for the man, it’s a tragedy for his family, and it’s a tragedy for the police officers involved,” Mr Belmar said.

Mr Belmar said approximately 40 rounds of gunfire had been unleashed calling it “a remarkable amount of gunfire,” adding that the officers were not wearing body cameras.

“These were criminals, they weren’t protesters”, he said.

“There is a small group of people out there that are intent on making sure that we don’t have peace that prevails.”

He said officer returned shots after coming under heavy gunfire and that “two unmarked cars took shots”.

St Louis County PD tweeted photos of the unmarked police cars that had been hit

Demonstrators who had gathered to remember Michael Brown fled in multiple directions, hiding behind cars and taking cover in buildings as the gunfire rang out just after 11:15pm local time.

In separate incident during the clashes, a police officer was hit in the face with a brick and a journalist was robbed and assaulted.

The shooting comes one year after 18-year-old Michael Brown was killed by white police officer Darren Wilson. His death sparked mass outrage and fired up racial tensions across America. As a result there were months of demonstrations across the country and a national protest movement against racial bias by police.