Ferguson: two police officers shot after gunfire 'directed exactly at officers'

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Two police officers have been shot in Ferguson, Missouri, as a small demonstration wound down in the city gripped by unrest since the fatal shooting of an unarmed black 18-year-old last year.

One officer from St Louis County and another from Webster Groves were struck soon after midnight on Wednesday as they stood outside the Ferguson police headquarters, St Louis County police chief Jon Belmar said at a press conference early on Thursday morning.

Related: Ferguson, Missouri police chief Thomas Jackson resigns

“These police officers were standing there and they were shot, just because they were police officers,” said Belmar, who added that the officers sustained serious gunshot wounds.

The Webster Groves officer, a 32-year-old who has worked in the department for five years, was shot in the face, according to Belmar. The St Louis County officer, who is 41 and a 17-year law-enforcement veteran, was shot in the shoulder, he said.

Sergeant Brian Schellman, a spokesman for St Louis County police, told the Guardian that both officers were being treated in hospital. “No update yet on condition,” said Schellman. The St Louis Post-Dispatch reported police sources saying both were expected to survive.

  • Slide 1 of 34: A Ferguson police officer tries to separate a supporter of Michael Brown (R) from a Ferguson police supporter, outside the Ferguson Police Department and Municipal Court in Ferguson, Missouri, March 15, 2015. News of Sunday's arrest of suspect Jeffrey Williams in last week's shooting of two policemen during a protest rally in Ferguson, prompted a show of support for Ferguson's beleaguered police force. Williams, 20, has admitted to firing the shots that wounded the officers early on Thursday, said St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch, and told investigators that he was not targeting police but was shooting at someone else.
  • Slide 2 of 34: A group of demonstrators in support of the police hold U.S. flags and signs as they gather in front of the Ferguson Police Department and Municipal Court in Ferguson, Missouri, March 15, 2015. News of Sunday's arrest of suspect Jeffrey Williams in last week's shooting of two policemen during a protest rally in Ferguson, prompted a show of support for Ferguson's beleaguered police force. Williams, 20, has admitted to firing the shots that wounded the officers early on Thursday, said St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch, and told investigators that he was not targeting police but was shooting at someone else.
  • Slide 3 of 34: St. Louis County District Attorney Robert McCulloch speaks at a press conference about an arrest in connection with the shooting at the Ferguson Police Department last Thursday night that left two police officers wounded, in Clayton, Missouri, March 15, 2015.
  • Slide 4 of 34: This photo provided by the St. Louis County Police Department on Sunday, March 15, 2015 shows Jeffrey Williams. Williams, 20, is charged with two counts of first-degree assault, one count of firing a weapon from a vehicle and three counts of armed criminal action in connection with the shooting of two police officers who were keeping watch over a demonstration outside the Ferguson Police Department on March 12.
  • Slide 5 of 34: A protester is detained during a demonstration against what they say is police brutality after the Ferguson shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, by a white police officer, in St. Louis, Missouri, March 14, 2015.
  • Slide 6 of 34: Protesters march through the streets as they demonstrate against what they say is police brutality after the Ferguson shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, by a white police officer, in St. Louis, Missouri, March 14, 2015.
  • Slide 7 of 34: A protester wears tape over her mouth during a silent demonstration against what they say is police brutality after the Ferguson shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, by a white police officer, in St. Louis, Missouri March 14, 2015.
  • Slide 8 of 34: Demonstrators vist the Michael Brown memorial to say a prayer on March 13, 2015 in Ferguson, Missouri. On Wednesday evening two police officers were shot as they were securing the police station during a protest. Ferguson has faced many violent protests since the August shooting death of Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer.
  • Slide 9 of 34: A demonstrator supporting shooting victim Michael Brown (R) and a supporter of police officers are seen outside the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, March 13, 2015. The hunt for suspects in the shooting of two police officers at a protest rally in Ferguson, Missouri, entered a second day on Friday as community leaders appealed for reconciliation and justice in a town struggling against a legacy of racial rancor.
  • Slide 10 of 34: A man walks by the burned out remains of a business in Ferguson, Missouri, March 13, 2015. Bulldozers are beginning to tear down some of the stores destroyed by fire along West Florissant Avenue, the worst-hit thoroughfare in the city left largely abandoned after violent protests and looting in November that erupted after a grand jury verdict in the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by white policeman Darren Wilson in August.
  • Slide 11 of 34: A police officer removes a demonstrator from the middle of the street during a protest in front of the police station on March 12, 2015 in Ferguson, Missouri. Two police officers were shot yesterday while standing outside the station observing a similar protest. Ferguson has faced many violent protests since the August shooting death of Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer.
  • Slide 12 of 34: A protestor shouts during a demonstration outside the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, March 12, 2015. The shooting of two police officers in Ferguson, Missouri, during a protest rally sparked an intense manhunt for suspects on Thursday and ratcheted up tensions in a city at the center of a national debate over race and policing.
  • Slide 13 of 34: Protesters demonstrate across the street from the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, March 12, 2015. The shooting of two police officers in Ferguson, Missouri, during a protest rally sparked an intense manhunt for suspects on Thursday and ratcheted up tensions in a city at the center of a national debate over race and policing.
  • Slide 14 of 34: People take part in a candlelight vigil Thursday, March 12, 2015, in Ferguson, Mo. Two police officers were shot early Thursday morning in front of the Ferguson Police Department during a protest following the resignation of the city's police chief in the wake of damning U.S. Justice Department report.
  • Slide 15 of 34: A man holds a protest sign outside the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, March 12, 2015. The shooting of two police officers in Ferguson, Missouri, during a protest rally sparked an intense manhunt for suspects on Thursday and ratcheted up tensions in a city at the center of a national debate over race and policing.
  • Slide 16 of 34: A St. Louis County investigative team canvasses the neighborhood near the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, March 12, 2015, asking residents if they have any information about the shooting of two police officers. The SWAT team broke into four teams of three to do the grid search of the neighborhood.
  • Slide 17 of 34: A St. Louis County investigative team canvasses the neighborhood near the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, March 12, 2015, asking residents if they have any information about the shooting of two police officers. The SWAT team broke into four teams of three to do the grid search of the neighborhood.
  • Slide 18 of 34: A police officer pulls up the tape marking the perimeter around the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, March 12, 2015. The shooting of two police officers in Ferguson, Missouri, during a protest rally sparked an intense manhunt for suspects on Thursday and ratcheted up tensions in a city at the center of a national debate over race and policing.
  • Slide 19 of 34: Police take cover after two officers were shot while standing guard in front of the Ferguson Police Station on March 12, 2015, in Ferguson, Mo.
  • Slide 20 of 34: Police crime scene personnel investigate the scene outside the Ferguson Police Department on March 12, 2015 in Ferguson, Mo.
  • Slide 21 of 34: Law enforcement officials secure the crime scene and continue to search for evidence outside the police station after two officers were shot and wounded on March 12, 2015 in Ferguson, Mo.
  • Slide 22 of 34: A K-9 unit patrols outside the police station after two officers were shot and wounded on March 12, 2015 in Ferguson, Mo.
  • Slide 23 of 34: Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III announces the resignation of police chief Thomas Jackson during a news conference Wednesday, March 11, 2015, in Ferguson, Mo. The resignation comes in the wake of a scathing Justice Department report prompted by the fatal shooting of an unarmed black 18-year-old by a white police officer.
  • Slide 24 of 34: Protestors demonstrate outside the Ferguson Police Department on March11, 2015 in Ferguson, MO. Protests erupted after the announcement of the resignation of Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson earlier in the day.
  • Slide 25 of 34: Protesters sit outside the City of Ferguson Police Department and Municipal Court in Ferguson, Missouri, March 11, 2015. Two police officers were shot during a protest outside Ferguson, Missouri police headquarters early on Thursday, police said, just hours after the city's police chief quit following a damning U.S. Justice Department report into his force.
  • Slide 26 of 34: A protester chants in front of a flag which reads, "Racism lives here", outside the City of Ferguson Police Department and Municipal Court in Ferguson, Missouri March 11, 2015. The police chief of Ferguson, Missouri, resigned on Wednesday, following a scathing U.S. Justice Department report that found widespread racially biased abuses in the city's police department and municipal court. Protesters had called for Chief Thomas Jackson's removal since the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white Ferguson police officer on August 9. The killing triggered nationwide protests and drew scrutiny to police use of deadly force, especially against black men.
  • Slide 27 of 34: A protester confronts a police officer outside the City of Ferguson Police Department and Municipal Court in Ferguson, Missouri, March 11, 2015. Two police officers were shot during a protest outside Ferguson, Missouri police headquarters early on Thursday, police said, just hours after the city's police chief quit following a damning U.S. Justice Department report into his force.
  • Slide 28 of 34: Protestors hold up their hands in front of police car during a protest outside the Ferguson Police Department on March11, 2015 in Ferguson, MO. Protests erupted after the announcement of the resignation of Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson earlier in the day.
  • Slide 29 of 34: Police and protesters square off outside the Ferguson Police Department, Wednesday, March 11, 2015, in Ferguson, Mo. Earlier in the day, the resignation of Ferguson police chief Thomas Jackson was announced in the wake of a scathing Justice Department report prompted by the fatal shooting of an unarmed black 18-year-old by a white police officer.
  • Slide 30 of 34: Police in riot gear respond to demonstrators blocking traffic during a protest outside the Ferguson Police Department on March11, 2015 in Ferguson, MO. Protests erupted after the announcement of the resignation of Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson earlier in the day.
  • Slide 31 of 34: A demonstrator is detained and arrested during a protest outside the Ferguson Police Department on March11, 2015 in Ferguson, MO. Protests erupted after the announcement of the resignation of Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson earlier in the day.
  • Slide 32 of 34: Police stand guard moments after gun shots were fired outside the City of Ferguson Police Department and Municipal Court in Ferguson, Missouri, early March 12, 2015. Two police officers were shot during a protest outside the Ferguson, Missouri police department early on Thursday, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper reported. The newspaper reported that Ferguson Lt. Col. Al Eickhoff said he did not believe either of the officers were part of his department. He could not provide details on their injuries to the Post-Dispatch. A few dozen demonstrators fled following the sound of gunfire around midnight with some screaming, "They hit a cop," according to a Reuters photographer at the scene. Police could not be reached immediately for comment.
  • Slide 33 of 34: Police gather outside the Ferguson Police Department Thursday, March 12, 2015, after two police officers were shot according to witnesses in Ferguson, Mo.
  • Slide 34 of 34: Police shine a light on and photograph a helmet as they investigate the scene where two police officers were shot outside the Ferguson Police Department Thursday, March 12, 2015, in Ferguson, Mo.
Full screen
1/34 SLIDES © Kate Munsch/Reuters

Fergsuon protest

A Ferguson police officer tries to separate a supporter of Michael Brown (R) from a Ferguson police supporter, outside the Ferguson Police Department and Municipal Court in Ferguson, Missouri, March 15, 2015.

2/34 SLIDES © Kate Munsch/Reuters

Fergsuon protest

A group of demonstrators in support of the police hold U.S. flags and signs as they gather in front of the Ferguson Police Department and Municipal Court in Ferguson, Missouri, March 15, 2015.

3/34 SLIDES © Kate Munsch/Reuters

Fergsuon protest

St. Louis County District Attorney Robert McCulloch speaks at a press conference about an arrest in connection with the shooting at the Ferguson Police Department that left two police officers wounded, in Clayton, Missouri, March 15, 2015.

4/34 SLIDES © St. Louis County Police Department/AP Photo

Fergsuon protest

This photo provided by the St. Louis County Police Department on March 15, 2015 shows Jeffrey Williams. Williams, 20, is charged with two counts of first-degree assault, one count of firing a weapon from a vehicle and three counts of armed criminal action in connection with the shooting of two police officers who were keeping watch over a demonstration outside the Ferguson Police Department on March 12.

5/34 SLIDES © Jim Young/Reuters

Fergsuon protest

A protester is detained during a demonstration against what they say is police brutality after the Ferguson shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, by a white police officer, in St. Louis, Missouri, March 14, 2015.

6/34 SLIDES © Jim Young/Reuters

Fergsuon protest

Protesters march through the streets as they demonstrate against what they say is police brutality after the Ferguson shooting of Michael Brown in St. Louis, Missouri, March 14, 2015.

7/34 SLIDES © Jim Young/Reuters

Fergsuon protest

A protester wears tape over her mouth during a silent demonstration in St. Louis, Missouri, March 14, 2015.

8/34 SLIDES © Scott Olson/Getty Images

Fergsuon protest

Demonstrators visit the Michael Brown memorial to say a prayer in Ferguson, Missouri on March 13, 2015.

9/34 SLIDES © Jim Young/Reuters

Ferguson protest

A demonstrator supporting shooting victim Michael Brown (R) and a supporter of police officers are seen outside the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, March 13, 2015.

10/34 SLIDES © Jim Young/Reuters

Ferguson protest

A man walks by the burned out remains of a business in Ferguson, Missouri, March 13, 2015.

11/34 SLIDES © Scott Olson/Getty Images

Ferguson protest

A police officer removes a demonstrator from the middle of the street during a protest in front of the police station, March 12, 2015 in Ferguson, Missouri.

12/34 SLIDES © Jim Young/Reuters

Ferguson protest

A protestor shouts during a demonstration outside the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, March 12, 2015.

13/34 SLIDES © Jim Young/Reuters

Ferguson protest

Protesters demonstrate across the street from the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, March 12, 2015.

14/34 SLIDES © Jeff Roberson/AP Photo

Ferguson protest

People take part in a candlelight vigil Thursday, March 12, 2015, in Ferguson, Mo.

15/34 SLIDES © Jim Young/Reuters

Ferguson protest

A man holds a protest sign outside the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, March 12, 2015.

16/34 SLIDES © Kate Munsch/Reuters

Ferguson protest

A St. Louis County investigative team canvasses the neighborhood near the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, asking residents if they have any information about the shooting of two police officers, March 12.

17/34 SLIDES © Kate Munsch/Reuters

Ferguson protest

A St. Louis County investigative team canvasses the neighborhood near the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, March 12, 2015,.

18/34 SLIDES © Jim Young/Reuters

Ferguson protest

A police officer pulls up the tape marking the perimeter around the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, March 12, 2015.

19/34 SLIDES © Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/TNS

Ferguson protest

Police take cover after two officers were shot while standing guard in front of the Ferguson Police Station on March 12, 2015, in Ferguson, Mo.

20/34 SLIDES © Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images

Ferguson protest

Police crime scene personnel investigate the scene outside the Ferguson Police Department on March 12, 2015 in Ferguson, Mo.

21/34 SLIDES © Scott Olson/Getty Images

Ferguson protest

Law enforcement officials secure the crime scene and continue to search for evidence outside the police station after two officers were shot and wounded on March 12, 2015 in Ferguson, Mo.

22/34 SLIDES © Scott Olson/Getty Images

Ferguson protest

A K-9 unit patrols outside the police station after two officers were shot and wounded on March 12, 2015 in Ferguson, Mo.

23/34 SLIDES © Jeff Roberson/AP Photo

Ferguson protest

Ferguson, Mo., Mayor James Knowles III announces the resignation of police chief Thomas Jackson during a news conference, March 11, 2015.

24/34 SLIDES © Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images

Ferguson protest

Protestors demonstrate outside the Ferguson Police Department, March 11, 2015.

25/34 SLIDES © Kate Munsch/Reuters

Ferguson protest

Protesters sit outside the Ferguson Police Department and Municipal Court building, March 11, 2015.

26/34 SLIDES © Kate Munsch/Reuters

Ferguson protest

A protester chants in front of a flag which reads, "Racism lives here", outside the Ferguson Police Department and Municipal Court building, March 11, 2015.

27/34 SLIDES © Kate Munsch/Reuters

Ferguson protest

A protester confronts a police officer outside the Ferguson Police Department, March 11, 2015.

28/34 SLIDES © Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images

Ferguson protest

Protestors hold up their hands in front of a police car during a protest outside the Ferguson Police Department, March 11, 2015.

29/34 SLIDES © Jeff Roberson/AP Photo

Ferguson protest

Police and protesters square off, March 11, 2015.

30/34 SLIDES © Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images

Ferguson protest

Police in riot gear respond to demonstrators blocking traffic during a protest, March 11, 2015.

31/34 SLIDES © Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images

Ferguson protest

A demonstrator is detained and arrested during the protest.

32/34 SLIDES © Kate Munsch/Reuters

Ferguson protest

Police stand guard moments after gun shots were fired outside the Ferguson Police Department, March 12, 2015.

33/34 SLIDES © Jeff Roberson/AP Photo

Ferguson protest

Police gather outside the Ferguson Police Department after two officers were shot on March 12, 2015.

34/34 SLIDES © Jeff Roberson/AP Photo

Ferguson protest

Police photograph a helmet as they investigate the scene where two police officers were shot outside the Ferguson Police Department, March 12, 2015.

34/34 SLIDES
Belmar said the shots appeared to have been aimed at the police as they were fired “parallel with the ground” and did not appear to have ricocheted. “I would have to make an assumption that these shots were directed exactly at my police officers,” he said.

Several protesters at the scene said the shots appeared to have been fired from a hill behind a dwindling group of demonstrators who were celebrating the resignation of Ferguson police chief Thomas Jackson and were gathered across from the police department on the other side of South Florissant Road.

Tony Rice, a Ferguson resident and protester, said: “The shots came from up Tiffin Avenue” – an upwards-sloping street directly opposite the police department. DeRay Mckesson, a prominent leader of the Ferguson protest movement, agreed that the shots were fired from “the alley or street” behind where protesters stood.

“I’m 100% sure on that,” Rice told the Guardian. “Clearly no one shot a gun close to me.”

Yet, when asked to confirm that the shooter or shooters had not been among the protest, Belmar said: “I don’t know who did the shooting, to be honest with you right now. But somehow they were embedded in that group of folks.” The police chief said he had no details on descriptions of suspects or on the weapon or weapons used.

Rice recalled in a telephone interview that he “heard gunshots go off and felt a bullet whizz by my head,” prompting him to take cover from the direction of the shots by hiding behind a car, while facing the police line.

A protester confronts a police officer outside the Ferguson police department. © Provided by Guardian News A protester confronts a police officer outside the Ferguson police department.  

“I saw the officer who was shot in the face hit the ground,” said Rice. “He was hollering and moaning. Not saying words but just screaming. Other officers were jumping around him tending to him. Some were scrambling to get out of the way.”

Rice said the officer struck in the face had been standing on the pavement outside police headquarters and the officer hit in a shoulder was on a grassy patch behind him. He said that from a high of about 200 protesters earlier in the evening, numbers had fallen to between 30 and 50 as people went home for the night.

Susan Weich, a reporter for the St Louis Post-Dispatch, said in a video posted to Twitter: “It was just after midnight, we were just getting to leave and things were winding down. All of a sudden we heard some shots ring out - probably three or four shots. Two of the police officers who were standing in the line in front of the police department went down.

“It was mass chaos after that. Protesters were falling on the ground, protesters were running. We ran behind a brick wall. Then all these police officers started pulling out weapons.”

Related: Ferguson removes city manager after damning Justice Department report

The shootings came just hours after Jackson became the sixth senior official in Ferguson to lose his job following the publication of a damning report by the Department of Justice on the city’s criminal justice system.

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The shots were the first to strike law enforcement officers in the seven months since protests erupted following the shooting of Michael Brown by Darren Wilson, a white officer.

“We’ve had occasion to be involved in many of the events in Ferguson since Michael Brown was killed and we’ve been very fortunate as we’ve moved forward not to have similar instances like this happen to us,” said Belmar.

“As I have said all along, we cannot sustain this forever without problems – that’s not an indictment on everybody that’s out there expressing their first amendment rights. But what we have seen in law enforcement is that this is a very, very, very dangerous environment for the officers to work in regarding the amount of gunfire that we’ve experienced out there.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Jackson had announced “with profound sadness” that he would quit as police chief on 19 March. It was announced on Tuesday evening that city manager John Shaw would also be leaving his position. Their departures followed the resignations of municipal court judge Ronald Brockmeyer, his clerk, and two police commanders.

The federal inquiry into Ferguson’s law enforcement was prompted by unrest following the Wilson’s fatal shooting of Brown on 9 August last year. Brown’s death led to successive nights of intense protests and clashes with police.

Officials announced simultaneously last week that Wilson would not face federal civil rights charges. A St Louis grand jury declined to prosecute him on state charges last year. A night of rioting, looting and arson followed the announcement of the decision.

In their report last week, justice department officials concluded that police and court authorities targeted black people disproportionately and frequently violated their constitutional rights. They were accused of operating the criminal justice system as a generator of city revenues.

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