Two police officers suffered “very serious” wounds after being shot early Thursday during a demonstration in Ferguson, Missouri, authorities said.
Gunfire rang out as about 50 protesters and about 30 police officers remained outside the Ferguson Police Department shortly after midnight local time (1 a.m. ET).
2 officers shot in #Ferguson tonight. One officer from St Louis County. One officer from Webster Groves. #stl #officerdown
— St. Louis County PD (@stlcountypd) March 12, 2015
Freelance producer Jennifer Roller had been covering the rally, which had been peaceful since about 8 p.m. local time.
“I heard pop, pop, pop, pop,” Roller said. “I thought they were fireworks until I heard the cops screaming, ‘get down, get down’.”
In an early-morning press conference, St. Louis County Police Chief John Belmar confirmed that officers aged 41 and 32 had been shot — with one wounded in the face and the other struck in the shoulder. Belmar told reporters both victims were both conscious and talking but described their injuries as “very serious.”
The crowd had gathered outside the force’s headquarters after Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson resigned on Wednesday, joining a string of city officials ousted in the wake of a Justice Department report that found a culture of racism in the police department and city offices.
The two officers shot in #Ferguson said to be @stlcountypd officers. 1 taken to Barnes. Conditions unknown. #ksdk pic.twitter.com/VcFo0JRxj4
— Casey Nolen (@CaseyNolen) March 12, 2015
The report was triggered by the killing of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by a white police officer in August, which set off weeks of sometimes-violent protests in the St. Louis suburb.
It also concluded that police in Ferguson had used excessive and dangerous force and had disproportionately targeted blacks.
Attorney General Eric Holder said last week that the police had fostered a “highly toxic environment” of racism and misconduct that turned the city into a “powder keg.”
Before the shots were fired, the protest had been peaceful since about 8 p.m. local time.
(via NBC)
