Updated 12:04 AM EDT, Fri, Mar 29, 2024

Michael Brown Shooting Update: Ferguson Riots Continue as Police Refuse to Name Officer Involved, Second Police Shooting Occurs

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The aftermath of black teenager Michael Brown's shooting in Ferguson, Missouri appears to be getting worse as reports have surfaced that there was another police shooting and residents took to the streets to protest.

Tensions have continued to boil over between the community, which is more than 50 percent African American, and the police force, which is largely white. Early Wednesday Reuters reported, "a police officer shot and critically wounded a man who drew a handgun near the site of protests," according to a St. Louis County Police Department officer.

"Police responded about an hour after midnight to reports of four or five men with shotguns and wearing ski masks," according to Reuters. "They encountered multiple suspects running, one of whom pulled a gun on an officer, who fired at him, the county officer said. The man was taken to an area hospital."

In addition to the second shooting of a black man in Ferguson, police have pulled back on their promise to release the name of the officer who fatally shot Brown--a recent high school graduate who witnesses say had his hands up and was unarmed when he was shot. The FBI has opened its own investigation into the matter. 

A friend of Browns, who was there during the first shooting last week, described the initial incident to local television station KSDK. Dorian Johnson said the police officer, who remains on unpaid leave, opened his car door, and grabbed Brown by his neck and tried to yank him through the police car window.

"The second time he says, 'I'll shoot.' A second later the gun went off and he let go," Johnson said. Johnson took off running and hid behind a car. He said Brown was shot in the back with his hands raised. The incident started when the police office allegedly asked Brown to walk on a sidewalk.

Community activists from around the state and country have descended upon Ferguson, and tensions within the community remain high. President Barack Obama even issued a statement calling for cooler heads to prevail in the matter. Authorities have asked the community to limit their protests to daylight hours following the second shooting incident, which occurred around 1 a.m.

The Los Angeles Times reported that "Following the shooting, Ferguson police issued a statement asking 'any groups wishing to assemble in prayer or protest to do so only during daylight hours in an organized and respectful manner' and to disperse 'well before the evening hours to ensure the safety of the participants and community.'"

The call for a stop to the violence is coming from all corners: "The father of the young man who was killed, Michael Brown Sr., said: "I need all of us to come together and do it right, the right way, so we can get something done about this. No violence." 

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