The Southern Poverty Law Centre, a non-profit civil rights organisation, has described the “Oath Keepers” as a “fiercely anti-government, militaristic group”, and St Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar condemned their appearance in Ferguson.
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Mr Harris Jr was arrested during the violence and was in a critical condition in hospital after surgery. In addition to one drive-by-shooting, a number of demonstrators had thrown rocks and iced bottles of water at police. “The sense I get is there was some resistance from protesters but it wasn’t almost as intense or as threatening as numerous law enforcement officials were saying it was”. Brown, 18, was fatally shot on August 9, 2014, by Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson during a struggle.
On Tuesday, St. Louis County Police released surveillance video from a Ferguson insurance office that, police said, showed Harris pulling out a gun.
On Tuesday night, a handful of members returned to West Florissant, where a crowd of about 100 protesters had gathered.
More than 20 people were arrested.
Sunday night in Ferguson, officers shot and seriously wounded an 18-year old suspect they say opened fire on them, leading to charges against the suspect and a state of emergency declared in St. Louis County to stem further violence.
Outrage at the deaths of Brown and a series of others killed by police in disputed circumstances have fuelled the Black Lives Matter movement and a national conversation about racism and police tactics.
Heavily-armed members of a controversial right-wing “patriot” group added an extra dose of unease to protests in Ferguson, Missouri, early Tuesday. Tyrone Harris Sr. advised Media 4 which witnesses said his / her son has been “running faraway from the problem, as well as police force wound up firing him”.
Following a night of arson fires and bashed storefronts that hit close to home, Greg Hildebrand stood naked Tuesday, drying off from a needed shower, when he noticed somebody on the rooftop.
In a 13-second video released by St. Louis County police Tuesday, authorities say Harris is seen among a group reacting to gunfire during the anniversary of Michael Brown’s death.
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Meanwhile, the return of an armed militia group patrolling the streets of Ferguson drew criticism from protesters and Belmar. Unlike Sunday, there was no gunfire, no injuries and no reports of looting or property damage. John Karriman, an Oath Keepers leader from southwest Missouri, said members plan to remain in Ferguson at least through the end of the week. His family told the Post-Dispatch Monday they don’t believe Harris would shoot at police officers.
