Two Police Officers Shot at Ferguson Protests
Two Police Officers Shot at Ferguson Protests
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside of the Ferguson Police Department following the resignation of police chief Tom Jackson. Although the mood was tense because officers from multiple jurisdictions were dressed in full riot gear, demonstrators were peaceful, with most of them simply chanting. Some of the demonstrators were calling for the resignation of Mayor Jim Slay as well as city council members, who they feel have played significant roles in perpetuating the systemic racism and oppression uncovered by the recent Department of Justice report.
Build a profitable and responsive email list!
Just after midnight, reports of two officers being shot began circulating on Twitter. The St. Louis Dispatch confirmed the reports, stating that “several members of the media, including a Post-Dispatch reporter and photographer, were near the officers who were hit.” The Post-Dispatch reports, “The shots were fired as police were confronting protesters who had gathered outside the police station…The shots rang out as the protests appeared to be dwindling. Some of the protesters fell to the ground and others ran.”
Initial reports from journalists and witnesses on the ground indicate that the shots came from a house located on a side street near the police department and not from the crowd of demonstrators. The direction appeared to be a “block of homes on Tiffin Avenue.” One witness reported that he believes the shot came “from at least 500 feet away from the officers.”
Police quickly drew their rifles demanding demonstrators put their hands in the air as EMTS arrived to treat the injured officers and take them to the hospital.
A demonstrator who was live streaming, who goes by the handle @MissJupiter1957, had her live stream camera and cell phone seized by officers who claimed they were instructed to take them as evidence. Witnesses on the ground reported hearing her name mentioned multiple times on the police scanner and believe that she was targeted to impose a media blackout on what was happening on the ground. A live streamer, whose Twitter handle is @CassandraRules, also had her equipment confiscated following the shooting.
Multiple demonstrators reported hearing the gunshots come from behind the line of officers, who were facing protesters. Officers quickly taped off the area where the officer was shot, and many protesters left the area, afraid that officers would begin acting violently in response to the shooting. At least one of the officers was transported to Barnes Hospital, where a large police presence amassed less than an hour after the shooting.