|
 The suspect, Jeffrey L. Williams, has admitted to firing the shots
that wounded the officers early on Thursday, said St. Louis County
Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch.
The gunfire rang out just after midnight at the end of a rally to
call for sweeping reforms in Ferguson, where an unarmed black
18-year-old was shot to death by a white officer last summer.
Michael Brown's death touched off months of protests against law
enforcement's treatment of minority groups, in Ferguson and around
the country, and led to a U.S. Justice Department probe that found
pervasive racial bias on the part of the city's mostly white police
force.
Williams was arrested after a massive manhunt, with the help of tips
from the public and video evidence, McCulloch told a news
conference.
An African American who had been on probation for possession of
stolen property, Williams told investigators that he was not
targeting police but was shooting at someone else, McCulloch said.
A 41-year-old county police officer suffered a shoulder wound and a
32-year-old from a nearby police department sustained a facial wound
in Thursday's shooting. Both were treated and released by a local
hospital.
 Williams, whose bond was set at $300,000, appears to have fired a
.40-caliber handgun from a car, McCulloch said.
A lawyer for Williams could not immediately be reached.
A handgun was recovered in his residence and matched shell casings
found at the scene, according to McCulloch, who said that although
Williams appeared to be the only shooter, other people may be
charged as the investigation continues.
"This arrest sends a clear message that acts of violence against our
law enforcement personnel will never be tolerated," U.S. Attorney
General Eric Holder said in a statement.
The shootings took place just hours after Ferguson's police chief
resigned in the wake of the scathing U.S. Justice Department report.
Chief Tom Jackson's resignation followed the departures of the city
manager and a municipal judge.
PRE-SHOOTING ROBBERY
The extent to which Williams may have been involved in street
demonstrations remains unclear. McCullough said Williams may have
participated in protests. Several long-time activists said they did
not recognize or know Williams.
One frequent protester, Bishop Derrick Robinson, told local media
that he had spoken to Williams early on Sunday and said the shooting
had nothing to do with the protests.
Robinson said Williams had told him that he had been robbed earlier
that night, and had returned to the area and shot his gun in the air
out of frustration.
[to top of second column] |
"He told me that he shouldn't have done it," Robinson told the St.
Louis Post-Dispatch. "He was embarrassed. He showed deep remorse. He
wishes he could retract things." News of Sunday's arrest was
greeted on the streets of Ferguson with a mix of relief and a sense
that the protests would not fade away.
"I just hope they got the right guy, and that he gets what he
deserves," said Gussie Klorer, a 60-year-old professor at St Louis
University, adding she thought the arrest would have no bearing on
the street demonstrations.
"The protests seem to have a life of their own," she said.
But the news also prompted a show of support for Ferguson's
beleaguered police force. Dozens of people gathered in front of
police headquarters, many of them holding signs reading "We Support
the Badge" and "Thank You Police."
There was a brief clash on Sunday between the pro-police
demonstrators and about 15 people who converged on them shouting
"you support baby killers", while one among them trampled and ripped
an American flag.
The two groups met in the middle of the street, face to face, and
began shouting at each other, though tensions cooled after the
pro-police group disbanded.
The Justice Department report said Ferguson police overwhelmingly
arrested and issued traffic citations to black residents to boost
city coffers through fines. That helped create a culture of distrust
that exploded in August when city police officer Darren Wilson
fatally shot Brown.
(Writing by Jon Herskovitz and Frank McGurty; Additional reporting
by Brendan O'Brien in Wisconsin; Editing by Kevin Liffey, Frances
Kerry and Eric Walsh, and Simon Cameron-Moore)\
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
