Two shot in Ferguson amid standoff between police and protesters

FERGUSON, Mo: Two people were wounded in gunfire at a rally in Ferguson, Missouri on Sunday marking the first anniversary of the death of Michael Brown near where the unarmed black teenager was shot dead by a white office.

The gunshots rang out as police tried to disperse demonstrators blocking traffic and smashing windows along a street that was a flashpoint of last year’s unrest following the slaying of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

The origin of the gunfire and condition of the two people shot was not immediately known, police said. One of the victims, a black male who looked to be a teenager or young adult, appeared in a Reuters photo to have been badly wounded. Anniversary commemorations for Brown had begun hours earlier with a peaceful march through the St Louis suburb after a moment of silence for the teenager, whose death on Aug 9, 2014, ignited months of demonstrations and a national debate on race and justice.

The scene changed dramatically after dark with dozens of protesters blocking traffic and smashing store windows along West Florissant Avenue, which bore the brunt of last summer’s rioting, chanting ‘Shut it down’ in the midst of a severe thunderstorm.

A phalanx of helmeted police wearing body armor and carrying shields moved in. Protesters briefly fell away before regrouping to confront the line of officers, who ordered them to disperse.

The protesters, locking arms and edging closer to the police cordon, began throwing water bottles and shouting, ‘ We are ready for war!’ Both sides held their ground, and police did not move immediately to make any arrests as clergy members and activists circulated between the two sides appealing for calm. The face- off was shattered by several volleys of gunfire, sending police crouching behind their patrol cars and demonstrators scurrying for cover. Helicopters whirred overhead as additional police armed with assault rifles swarmed the area, some roaring down the street in armored vehicles in the direction of the gunfire.

A body could be seen on West Florissant Avenue and a young woman screamed that her brother had been shot. Multiple store windows were smashed and police stood atop vehicles surveying the scene. Merchants, some armed, stood guard outside their businesses early Monday after the incident.

“The St. Louis County Police Department was involved in an officer-involved shooting after officerscame underheavygunfire,” county police spokesman Shawn McGuire said in a statement. He said at least two unmarked police cars had been hit by gunshots. — Reuters