Unrest Continues In Ferguson Over Police Killing of Michael Brown
Law enforcement and county officials discuss their investigation of the police shooting that killed Michael Brown. VPC
Yamiche Alcindor, Elizabeth Matthews and Christina Coleman, KSDK-TV, St. Louis 10:13 p.m. EDT August 11, 2014
FERGUSON, Mo. — Officers in riot gear lobbed tear gas Monday night at crowds angered by the weekend shooting of an 18-year-old unarmed man by a police officer, according to published reports.
KSDK-TV in St. Louis reported that police officers trying to quell unrest and violence began firing tear gas at crowds here. There are no reports yet of injuries.
Authorities blocked access to many areas of Ferguson where the unrest has been building, the Associated Press reports. KTVI-TV also reported that police in riot gear were using tear gas to disperse a crowd of protesters. It said there were reports of rubber bullets being fired. KMOV-TV said the tear gas was being fired at people gathering near a major intersection.
The parents of Michael Brown, a teen who was fatally shot by a Ferguson, Missouri police officer Saturday, said their son was a good boy who didn't deserve to die. Following heated protests, they're calling for "no violence, just justice." VPC
Sunday night, two police officers were injured and 32 arrested during riots that broke out. Demands for answers in Ferguson have been steadily growing louder after police fatally shot Michael Brown.
The FBI opened an investigation Monday into the death of Brown, who police said was shot multiple times Saturday after being confronted by an officer in Ferguson, a suburb of 21,000 that's nearly 70 percent black.
Authorities were vague about exactly what led the officer to open fire, except to say that the shooting was preceded by a scuffle of some kind with a man. It was unclear whether Brown or the man he was with was involved in the altercation.
Investigators have refused to publicly disclose the race of the officer, who is now on administrative leave. But Phillip Walker said he was on the porch of an apartment complex overlooking the scene when he heard a shot and saw a white officer with Brown on the street.
A protest in front of St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch's office is scheduled for Tuesday.
Chief Tom Jackson with Ferguson police told KSDK that peaceful demonstrators are allowed to protest, but if rioting begins, the crowds will be disbanded by police. Jackson has said his department is receiving threatening phone calls and emails.
Brown's family has retained attorney Benjamin Crump, best known as the attorney for the family of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teen shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a white neighborhood watch volunteer, in Florida.
"I don't want to sugarcoat it, their baby was executed in broad daylight," said Crump, who stood by Brown's parents during a press conference Monday night. "We want to know and see exactly what happened because this family rejects what the police authorities said at their press conference."
Crump went on to say that Brown's death is an echo of the problems that led to the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis and Eric Garner.
Demonstrators expressed similar frustrations with many saying Brown's death is the latest example of black life not being valued by police officers who see youth of color as dangerous. Several on Twitter using the hashtag #IfTheyGunnedMeDown expressed their anger over Brown's death.
You might want to add this from the wire: The Rev. Al Sharpton says the shooting death is "very disturbing," and the civil-rights leader is planning a visit to that suburb to make that known.
Contributing: Brandie Piper at KSDK in St. Louis; Marisol Bello in McLean, Va.; The Associated Press.
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| Demonstration against the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. |
Yamiche Alcindor, Elizabeth Matthews and Christina Coleman, KSDK-TV, St. Louis 10:13 p.m. EDT August 11, 2014
FERGUSON, Mo. — Officers in riot gear lobbed tear gas Monday night at crowds angered by the weekend shooting of an 18-year-old unarmed man by a police officer, according to published reports.
KSDK-TV in St. Louis reported that police officers trying to quell unrest and violence began firing tear gas at crowds here. There are no reports yet of injuries.
Authorities blocked access to many areas of Ferguson where the unrest has been building, the Associated Press reports. KTVI-TV also reported that police in riot gear were using tear gas to disperse a crowd of protesters. It said there were reports of rubber bullets being fired. KMOV-TV said the tear gas was being fired at people gathering near a major intersection.
The parents of Michael Brown, a teen who was fatally shot by a Ferguson, Missouri police officer Saturday, said their son was a good boy who didn't deserve to die. Following heated protests, they're calling for "no violence, just justice." VPC
Sunday night, two police officers were injured and 32 arrested during riots that broke out. Demands for answers in Ferguson have been steadily growing louder after police fatally shot Michael Brown.
The FBI opened an investigation Monday into the death of Brown, who police said was shot multiple times Saturday after being confronted by an officer in Ferguson, a suburb of 21,000 that's nearly 70 percent black.
Authorities were vague about exactly what led the officer to open fire, except to say that the shooting was preceded by a scuffle of some kind with a man. It was unclear whether Brown or the man he was with was involved in the altercation.
Investigators have refused to publicly disclose the race of the officer, who is now on administrative leave. But Phillip Walker said he was on the porch of an apartment complex overlooking the scene when he heard a shot and saw a white officer with Brown on the street.
A protest in front of St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch's office is scheduled for Tuesday.
Chief Tom Jackson with Ferguson police told KSDK that peaceful demonstrators are allowed to protest, but if rioting begins, the crowds will be disbanded by police. Jackson has said his department is receiving threatening phone calls and emails.
Brown's family has retained attorney Benjamin Crump, best known as the attorney for the family of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teen shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a white neighborhood watch volunteer, in Florida.
"I don't want to sugarcoat it, their baby was executed in broad daylight," said Crump, who stood by Brown's parents during a press conference Monday night. "We want to know and see exactly what happened because this family rejects what the police authorities said at their press conference."
Crump went on to say that Brown's death is an echo of the problems that led to the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis and Eric Garner.
Demonstrators expressed similar frustrations with many saying Brown's death is the latest example of black life not being valued by police officers who see youth of color as dangerous. Several on Twitter using the hashtag #IfTheyGunnedMeDown expressed their anger over Brown's death.
You might want to add this from the wire: The Rev. Al Sharpton says the shooting death is "very disturbing," and the civil-rights leader is planning a visit to that suburb to make that known.
Contributing: Brandie Piper at KSDK in St. Louis; Marisol Bello in McLean, Va.; The Associated Press.
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