Michael Brown shooting: Police use teargas, flashbangs against protesters in Ferguson, Missouri
- 9 years ago
The standoff between protesters and riot police in a St. Louis suburb over the police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown has entered its fourth night after the initially peaceful demonstrations turned violent.
On Wednesday night an estimated 500 protesters ignored a night curfew declared by law enforcement. Chanting “Hands Up! Don't Shoot!,” they faced-off against riot police.
After failing to disperse the demonstrators, officers fired tear gas and flashbangs in an attempt to clear the road. The protesters struck back, lobbing Molotov cocktails and smoke bombs.
The latest night of violence came after a QuikTrip convenience store was looted and torched on Sunday night, a little over a day after the fatal shooting of Brown.
The fatal shooting of Brown, an unarmed black teenager, by a yet-to-be identified white police officer, has sparked a nationwide fury.
The clash has worsened racial tensions in Ferguson, a St. Louis suburb where the majority of residents are black and all but three of its 53 police officers white.
St. Louis County police spokesman Brian Schellman said police would review their use of military-style tactics after the night ended. He said that police did not yet know whether they would use the same tactics again if there was another protest.
On Wednesday night an estimated 500 protesters ignored a night curfew declared by law enforcement. Chanting “Hands Up! Don't Shoot!,” they faced-off against riot police.
After failing to disperse the demonstrators, officers fired tear gas and flashbangs in an attempt to clear the road. The protesters struck back, lobbing Molotov cocktails and smoke bombs.
The latest night of violence came after a QuikTrip convenience store was looted and torched on Sunday night, a little over a day after the fatal shooting of Brown.
The fatal shooting of Brown, an unarmed black teenager, by a yet-to-be identified white police officer, has sparked a nationwide fury.
The clash has worsened racial tensions in Ferguson, a St. Louis suburb where the majority of residents are black and all but three of its 53 police officers white.
St. Louis County police spokesman Brian Schellman said police would review their use of military-style tactics after the night ended. He said that police did not yet know whether they would use the same tactics again if there was another protest.