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Man Shot After Allegedly Firing At Police On Michael Brown Anniversary

by Sean Levinson

A teenager was critically injured by police after shooting at numerous officers in Ferguson, Missouri on the one-year anniversary of the death of Michael Brown.

On Sunday, approximately 1,000 people gathered during the day for a peaceful protest at the spot where the 18-year-old was fatally shot by a police officer, and then, they marched silently for over a mile.

Brown's father was among the group of people who spoke to the protestors before white doves were released in Brown's memory, according to St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

But later on, two rival groups began shooting at each other on West Florissant Avenue, the area where many of the protests occurred in the aftermath of Brown's death.

According to The New York Times, Chief Jon Belmar of the St. Louis County Police Department said,

They were criminals; they weren't protesters. Protesters are the people out there talking about a way to effect change. We can't afford to have this kind of violence, not only on a night like this, but any point in time if we're going to move forward in the right direction.

One teenager, who was among the two rival groups, allegedly fired at an unmarked SUV containing four plainclothes officers who had been following him.

All four officers fired back from the inside of the car before emerging from the vehicle and chasing the man, who then absorbed a barrage of gunshots.

Tyrone Harris reportedly identified the man as his 18-year-old son, Tyrone Harris, Jr.

He claimed his son and Michael Brown "were real close."

Harris, Jr was in critical condition when he was taken to the hospital, but according to his father, he got out of surgery around 3 am on Monday.

At least two other shootings took place in Ferguson last night. One was a drive-by shooting, injuring two teenagers, ages 17 and 19, around 2:15 am.

Several local businesses including a hair salon and a beauty supply store were reportedly burglarized, and a journalist from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was mugged and minorly injured after being beaten up.

Saturday night proved violent as well: Outside of a strip mall, a 17-year-old teen wounded a 22-year-old man at a gathering connected to Michael Brown, and the teen was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest on Sunday.

Citations: Man Is Shot in Ferguson After Police Say He Fired at Officers (The New York Times), Man shot by police in Ferguson after he fired at officers police say (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)