Police-Related Shooting? Shots Fired In Ferguson On One-Year Anniversary [BREAKING]
What started as peaceful memorials on the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown’s death turned violent Sunday night in Ferguson, Missouri, as shots were fired and businesses were looted.
According to NBC News, St. Louis County police confirmed shots were fired in Ferguson late Sunday night. Video captured during the shooting can seen below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZovKA4DmqiM
The shots were fired from an area behind a church on the outskirts of Ferguson. Marchers were making their way to the church when the shots were fired, according to Newsweek.
The shooting involved in an officer, according to the Boston Herald. St. Louis County Police spokesman Shawn McGuire said in an email that the officer was involved in “heavy gunfire” in the Ferguson incident. The statement said that police did not have all the details of the incident yet, but the authorities were “working as quickly as possible” to obtain them.
While no injuries were reported by police, the Toldeo Blade‘s story detailed a possible death. According their report, an Associated Press photograph saw a man lying face down covered in blood. A man nearby reported said the shots fired had killed his brother, according the Toledo Blade‘s story.
A tweet shortly after the Ferguson gunfire exchange showed that unmarked police cars had shots fired at them during the incident.
(2/2) During the gunfire, at least 2 unmarked cars took shots. We will release more details when available. pic.twitter.com/luPnp6iXqZ
— St. Louis County PD (@stlcountypd) August 10, 2015
The shooting drew the ire of St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar, who said the shots marred the events occurring in Ferguson throughout the day, according to Newsweek.
“These are the exact kind of events we try to avoid. I think it’s unfortunate. We are trying to keep everybody as safe as we can.”
The remembrance held throughout the day was to honor the memory of Brown, an unarmed African-American youth that was killed last year in Ferguson in a police-related incident. The event drew a range of political leaders and families of others who had died in confrontations with police, according to the New York Times.
Michael Brown’s father led a march through the town to a church for service. The crowd observed a four-and-a-half minute moment of silence to symbolize the time Brown’s body was left in the streets. Former Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson – the officer who fired the fatal shots – was later cleared of any wrong-doing for his part in the shooting.
Prior to the shots being fired Sunday night, only looting of Ferguson businesses was creating a potential police problem. Several businesses had reported damages to their stores, according to the Daily Mail.
Another break-in on West Florissant in #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/AI5PjiHD2I
— Paul Hampel (@phampel) August 10, 2015
[Image by Scott Olson/Getty Images]
