Harris is said to have shot into the windscreen. No smoke or tear gas was used, and no police or civilians reported injuries, he said. By 1 a.m., the crowd and police were heading home.
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As the new violence erupted, county officials declared a state of emergency Monday afternoon, but stopped short of declaring a curfew.
There was no gunfire on Monday night, but police still clashed with protesters. When the gunfire began, cops in riot gear were trying to disperse protesters who were blocking traffic and allegedly smashing storefront windows on a street where part of last year’s rebellion took place.
Tensions increased after darkness fell on Monday, with some demonstrators throwing objects at officers who pushed back with shields and threatened arrests.
“There is a small group of people out there who are intent on making sure we don’t have peace that prevails”, Belmar said.
Police detain a protester in Ferguson, Missouri, August 10, 2015.
On Monday activists released a pair of balloons attached to a sign saying “Racism lives here”, floating it near the city’s iconic arch. Some protesters reportedly jumped barricades in front of a federal courthouse during a demonstration demanding the disbanding of the Ferguson police department. “We want to reassure our residents and businesses that the Ferguson Police Department will continue to answer calls from our citizens”. An hour later, streets were nearly empty save a few people gathered in parking lots.
In the face of flying water bottles and rocks, police moved quickly to keep large numbers of protesters from filling the streets and stopping traffic, something they accomplished on a busy highway earlier in the day. The shots sent protesters and reporters running for cover.
Outrage over the police killings of Brown and other unarmed African Americans has been channeled into a sustained nationwide movement, with the social media hashtag #BlackLivesMatter becoming its rallying cry.
Protester Rayna Martin, 17, who lives in the neighbourhood where Brown was shot, said the violence within her community has been made worse by the actions of police. Harris remained in critical condition in a local hospital. Belmar says the suspect spotted a van carrying four plainclothes officers and fired into the windshield. He said between 40 and 50 shots were fired over about 45 seconds. The suspect again fired on the officers when he became trapped in a fenced-in area, Belmar said, and all four opened fire.
Harris remains hospitalized following surgery. Tyrone Harris Sr. told News 4 that witnesses said his son was “running away from the situation, and police ended up shooting him”.
Harris is facing 10 charges by authorities, including four counts of assault on law enforcement and shooting at a motor vehicle. He noted that the while the officers were riding in an unmarked vehicle and not outfitted in full police uniforms, they did wear police vests.
Meanwhile, the Washington Post’s Wesley Lowery and the Huffington Post’s Ryan Reilly each received a court summons on Monday charging them with trespassing on private property and interfering with a police officer over an altercation with police during the protests one year ago.
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Earlier in the day, the father of the suspect who was shot called the police version of events “a bunch of lies”.
