FERGUSON, Missouri – A day of peaceful rallies in Ferguson, Missouri, gave way to pandemonium on Sunday as gunfire erupted during a standoff between police in riot gear and protesters near where an unarmed black teenager was shot dead by a white officer one year ago.
Anniversary commemorations for Michael Brown had begun with a quiet march through the St Louis suburb following a moment of silence for 18-year-old Brown, whose slaying on August 9, 2014, ignited months of demonstrations and a national debate on race and justice.
The scene changed dramatically after dark with dozens of protesters blocking traffic and smashing store windows along West Florissant Avenue, which bore the brunt of last summer’s rioting, chanting “Shut it down” in the midst of a severe thunderstorm.
A phalanx of helmeted police wearing body armour and carrying shields moved in. Protesters briefly fell away before regrouping to confront the line of officers, who ordered them to disperse.
The protesters, locking arms and edging closer to the police cordon, began throwing water bottles and shouting, “We are ready for war!” Both sides held their ground, and police did not move immediately to make any arrests as clergy members and activists circulated between the two sides appealing for calm.
The face-off was shattered by the sound of several shots, sending police crouching behind their patrol cars and demonstrators scurrying for cover. Helicopters whirred overhead as additional police armed with assault rifles swarmed the area, some roaring down the street in armoured vehicles in the direction of the gunfire.
A body could be seen on West Florissant and a young woman screamed that her brother had been shot. Multiple store windows were smashed and police stood atop vehicles surveying the scene, which unfolded around the corner from where Brown was shot a year earlier. (Reuters)
