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Tuesday, April 16, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Gunfire in Ferguson at Michael Brown Protest

FERGUSON, Mo. (CN) — Gunfire broke out in Ferguson, Missouri, Tuesday night after a car ran over a protester on the second anniversary of Michael Brown's death.

Brown, an unarmed black man, was shot by Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson, who is white, on Aug. 9, 2014. The shooting sparked months of often violent protests and brought the topics of excessive force and police racism into the national conversation.

A car speeding down West Florissant Avenue, where roughly 75 protesters gathered not far from where Brown died, struck a protester who was in the street.

The car then reversed direction and tried to head north to avoid the crowd. Several protesters pulled out guns and chased and shot at the vehicle. Twenty to 30 rounds were fired, according to various Twitter reports.

Ferguson spokesman Jeff Small told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that it appears the woman driving the vehicle did not intend to hit the protester, and is cooperating with police.

"By all accounts, her version of what happened seems to fit the version of what happened to a person driving down a busy West Florissant Avenue and not seeing a person standing there," Small said.

The person hit by the vehicle was taken to a hospital in a private vehicle. His injuries are unknown.

Small told the Post-Dispatch that no arrests were made and there were bullet holes in the woman's vehicle.

Also Tuesday night, in St. Louis, a production of the musical "Aida" at The Muny in Forest Park was disrupted for about 25 minutes by about 40 protesters.

The protest started in the back of the theater, with banners and chanting. There was no property damage and no injuries.

A Muny spokesman told the Post-Dispatch that four protesters were arrested. A police spokesman acknowledged there were arrests but declined to say how many.

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