The latest in the events surrounding the anniversary of the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri (all times local.
Only a few dozen people out of a crowd that once numbered around 100 still remain along West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson.
Protesters and police stood on opposite sides of the street just after midnight Tuesday, chatting and milling around.
St. Louis County Police Sgt. Brian Schellman says officers made no arrests during the protest.
During a demonstration a night earlier, some protesters threw rocks and frozen water bottles at officers. Schellman says there were no similar incidents Tuesday.
Tuesday was the fifth consecutive night of protests marking the anniversary of 18-year-old Michael Brown‘s death in the St. Louis suburb.
Members of an armed militia group have returned to protests in Ferguson.
Several members of the Oath Keepers, a far-right anti-government activist group largely made up of past and present military personnel, first responders and law enforcement personnel, showed up along West Florissant Avenue late Tuesday. They also appeared at the protest there a night earlier.
St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar earlier Tuesday said that presence of the Oath Keepers, who wore bulletproof vests and openly carried rifles and pistols on Monday, was “both unnecessary and inflammatory.”
Oath Keepers appeared in Ferguson in November saying they were protecting businesses from rioting and looters. More than 100 protesters have gathered along West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson.
The crowd Tuesday night was smaller than the night before, when hundreds assembled in the same spot. Those gathered Tuesday mostly mingled quietly along the side of the road. Some chanted, and a few held signs.
Police officers, most wearing riot gear, appeared to outnumber protesters.
The first sign of any tension came after a couple dozen people walked into the road. Officers including St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar escorted them back to the shoulder.
The region has seen demonstrations for days marking the anniversary of the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, whose shooting death by a Ferguson police officer sparked a national “Black Lives Matter” movement. Brown was fatally shot Aug. 9, 2014.
St. Louis County police have released surveillance video footage they say shows Tyrone Harris Jr., the 18-year-old black suspect who was critically wounded after being shot by police Sunday night in Ferguson, minutes before he fired a gun at plainclothes officers.
Harris was shot late Sunday after allegedly opening fire on an unmarked police van.
Police say a 13-second clip of security camera footage from a West Florissant Avenue insurance office that they released Tuesday afternoon shows him grabbing a handgun from his waistband in response to shots being fired during the Ferguson protests.
Harris was in critical condition Monday at a St. Louis hospital. County police and Barnes-Jewish Hospital were unable to provide updates on his condition Tuesday.
Harris’ father disputed the police account Monday but declined to discuss his son’s shooting Tuesday. Tyrone Harris Jr. has been charged with 10 felonies — five counts of armed criminal action, four counts of first-degree assault on a law enforcement officer and a firearms charge.
Members of an armed militia group patrolling the streets of Ferguson have drawn criticism from the county police chief overseeing security in the St. Louis suburb.
St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said Tuesday that the overnight presence of the Oath Keepers, wearing bulletproof vests and openly carrying rifles and pistols on West Florissant Avenue was “both unnecessary and inflammatory.”
The street has been the focus of demonstrations marking the anniversary of the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.
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