Two Officers Were Shot In Ferguson Hours After Police Chief Resigned
Shortly after midnight on Thursday morning, two police officers were shot outside of the police department in Ferguson, MO.
Two cops were shot in #Ferguson tonight. I was standing close to them when they were shot — Bradley J. Rayford (@BradleyRayford) March 12, 2015
According to The New York Times, the protests were largely peaceful until gunshots suddenly filled the air. The shots, however, were not fired from the crowd of protestors; they came from a hill several hundred yards away.
STL County police officially confirm to me, two officers shot at Ferguson PD. Five witnesses fell me the shots came from behind protestors. — Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) March 12, 2015
During protests in Ferguson moments ago, a shooter, from a hill in the distance, shot at the crowd, and hit two police officers. A mess. — Shaun King (@ShaunKing) March 12, 2015
Here is raw footage of the shooting as it occurred:
Although they were in Ferguson, the two officers are not from the city's department. One, a St. Louis County officer, was shot in the shoulder. The other, from nearby Webster Groves department, was shot in the face.
Fortunately, both officers are expected to live.
STL county police say that as of this AM the 2 officers shot in Ferguson have serious, but not life threatening, injuries — Wesley Lowery (@WesleyLowery) March 12, 2015
There have been ongoing protests in Ferguson since August, when Officer Darren Wilson shot and killed an unarmed African-American teen, Michael Brown.
These protests eventually calmed down, but they recently escalated again in the wake of a scathing Department of Justice report on the Ferguson Police Department.
The report revealed Ferguson police have been habitually discriminatory toward minorities. Simply put, the report said police there have deliberately targeted blacks in the community and violated their civil rights in the process.
To top it all off, a number of racist emails between Ferguson police and court officials were also released as part of the report. One refers to President Obama as a chimpanzee.
As a consequence of these revelations, Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson resigned on Wednesday.
More fallout in #Ferguson as police chief resigns after scathing DOJ report. Big step forward 4 community oppressed 4 decades — Areva Martin, Esq. (@ArevaMartin) March 11, 2015
Ferguson police chief, city manager, and municipal judge all gone - all this before negotiations w/DOJ about scathing report have even begun — Wesley Lowery (@WesleyLowery) March 11, 2015
The Ferguson police report is very disturbing, and it's understandable that people are upset about it. But reacting violently toward police certainly won't solve any problems.
Prayers for 2 officers recovering from cowardly, immoral attacks in #Ferguson. No senseless violence from - or against - cops. RESPECT LIFE. — Van Jones (@VanJones68) March 12, 2015
My thoughts and prayers for the two police officers injured and shot in #StLouis. #Ferguson It's time to rebuild trust and work together. — Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) March 12, 2015
Let's hope we can learn from this and work to move forward in a peaceful manner.
The shooter has yet to be identified, but we will provide updates as they come in.
Citations: 2 Officers Are Shot Amid Protests Outside Ferguson Police Station (The Atlantic ), Justice Department slams Ferguson police for pattern of racial bias (Vox), Fergusons Conspiracy Against Black Citizens (The Atlantic ), Ferguson police chief resigns gets one year of pay (CNN)
