About 150 people were arrested during demonstrations Monday and early Tuesday morning.
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Some 87 protesters have been arrested, including 64 who shut down a freeway in an act of peaceful civil disobedience, officials said. In addition to one drive-by-shooting, a number of demonstrators had thrown rocks and iced bottles of water at police.
Brown’s death also prompted greater scrutiny of racial bias within the U.S. criminal justice system, giving rise to the “Black Lives Matter” movement that gained momentum from similar incidents in cities such as New York, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Cincinnati and, most recently, Arlington, Texas.
Tuesday was the fifth consecutive night of protests marking the anniversary of 18-year-old Michael Brown’s death in the St. Louis suburb.
The group’s membership coordinator referred an inquiry to founder Stewart Rhodes, who studied constitutional law at Yale University. That’s when Belmar walked directly toward the protesters and made it clear they needed to stop. None appeared to be carrying long rifles.
Heavily armed members of a group known as the Oath Keepers arrive in Ferguson, Mo., early Tuesday.
The crowd Tuesday night was smaller than the night before, when hundreds assembled in the same spot.
Although a tactical operations unit was on standby Tuesday night, it was never deployed.
The protesters chanted, beat drums and carried signs. A separate Justice Department report found that the police department in Ferguson routinely violated the rights of black citizens, who make up two-thirds of the city’s population.
On Monday, Stenger said Chief Jon Belmar would take over the operation of police emergency management in Ferguson and surrounding areas. Brown was fatally shot August 9, 2014.
During the video, shots are fired and a young man can be seen brandishing what looks like a pistol.
Scott Olson/Getty Images Blood stains the pavement of a parking lot behind a shuttered restaurant where police shot 18-year-old Tyrone Harris after gunfire erupted along West Florissant Street on Sunday.
Harris was in critical condition after surgery.
Police say Tyrone Harris is seen on surveillance video running toward police with a gun drawn. Nor was any smoke or tear gas used, police said.
After darkness fell, a line of riot-gear clad police rushed toward a few dozen demonstrators who had briefly blocked a street that has been the site of frequent protests since Brown’s death.
The Associated Press left a message with John Karriman, a representative of the group in Missouri.
Meanwhile, the return of an armed militia group patrolling the streets of Ferguson drew criticism from protesters and Belmar. According to police accounts, gunfire rang out and the alleged shooter, 18-year-old Tyrone Harris Jr.
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The four plainclothes police officers involved have been placed on administrative leave.
