People come to the aid of a distraught woman after gunshots were fired near a protest in Ferguson, Mo., Sunday, August 9, 2015.
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A suspect who authorities say opened fire on officers in Ferguson, Mo., on the anniversary of Michael Brown’s death was critically wounded when the officers shot back, St. Louis County’s police chief said Monday.
FILE – This undated photo provided by the Brown family shows Michael Brown. Even though the officer Darren Wilson was cleared by a grand jury and the U.S. Department of Justice, the name “Ferguson” remains a rallying cry.
Peaceful marches in the St. Louis suburb planned by day on Sunday were shattered that same night when gunfire broke out, sending protesters and police scattering to safety. “What scares me are the guns”.
Minutes after police shot Harris, there is video of White calming down another protestor who was threatening police. He said two girls who were with his son told him he was unarmed and had been drawn into a dispute involving two groups of young people.
The Ferguson Action Council is a coalition of organizations that have united in protests.
Meanwhile, in St Louis city centre, more than 50 protesters were arrested after climbing the barricade around a federal courthouse during a mid-day demonstration, local news media reported.
Famous author and academic Cornel West was among those arrested.
Protest groups were quick to criticize the police response to protesters who gathered late Sunday along West Florissant Avenue. One person threw a glass bottle at officers but missed. One officer was hospitalized with cuts to the face after being hit with a rock.
As tensions escalated, several gunshots suddenly rang out from the area near a strip of stores, including some that had been looted moments earlier.
The elder Harris says his son was caught in a dispute between two groups and was “running for his life” when shot by police. A man out on patrol described the group as constitutionalists who were hired to protect reporters for InfoWars.com, a website run by radio host Alex Jones, who has questioned everything from the moon landing to 9/11. St. Louis County police said officers shot the teenager after he unleashed a “remarkable amount of gunfire” at them – a characterization the man’s aunt contends is not true.
“The recent acts of violence will not be tolerated in a community that has worked so tirelessly over the last year to rebuild and become stronger”, St. Louis County executive Steve Stenger said in a statement. He said the suspect shot into the hood and windshield.
The suspect was taken to a hospital, where Belmar said he was in “critical, unstable” condition. All 10 are felonies.
The four officers that were involved in the shooting have all been put on standard administrative leave.
He said his son graduated from Normandy High School and that he and Brown “were real close”.
“My son was running to the police to ask for help, and he was shot”, he said. Harris Sr. disputed the police account of the shooting, calling it a “bunch of lies”. When they refused to disperse, police started making arrests.
Belmar said the suspect who fired on officers had a semi-automatic 9 mm gun that was stolen last year from Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
Belmar waved off any notion that the people with the weapons were part of the protest.
The chief said an estimated six shooters unleashed a “remarkable” amount of gunfire over about 45 seconds. “They weren’t protesters”.
Gov. Jay Nixon, in a statement, called Sunday’s violence “a sad turn of events” and called for peace going forward.
On Monday, roughly 200 demonstrators marched from Christ Church Cathedral to the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse in St. Louis.
“There are a lot of emotions – I get it”, the police chief said.
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Members of the St. Louis County Police Department take cover at a…
