The city of Ferguson, Missouri is dealing with the tumultuous end to a weekend meant to commemorate the life of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was shot and killed by white police officer Darren Wilson in August 2014. On 10 August, a county official declared a state of emergency after the one-year anniversary demonstrations were rocked by violence.
The recent acts of violence will not be tolerated in a community that has worked so tirelessly over the last year to rebuild and become stronger, said St Louis County Executive Steve Stenger in a statement.
The statement announced that the state of emergency declaration placed St Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar in charge of police operations in Ferguson and the surrounding areas, CNN reported.
According to CNN, the order came as nearly 200 demonstrators made their way from Christ Church Cathedral to the Thomas F Eagleton United States Courthouse in St Louis. KTVI reported that the demonstrators carried signs while demanding the Justice Department take action.
The response from authorities on 10 August followed a dramatic end to the protests in Ferguson on 9 August. St. Louis County Police Department announced it had arrested an 18-year-old who was shot by police after unleashing a remarkable amount of gunfire on officers.
St Louis County Police Department spokesman Sergeant Brian Schellman said Tyrone Harris was charged with four counts of first-degree assault on law enforcement, five counts of armed criminal action and one count of discharging a firearm at a motor vehicle.
Harris, who was critically injured during the fire fight, is accused of using a stolen handgun to fire at officers and is being held on a $250,000 bond. He was allegedly a friend of Browns.
The teens family, however, disputes claims by police about his actions. According to the BBC, Harriss father told the Associated Press that his son was shot between eight and 12 times. His father described the police account of the events as a bunch of lies.
