State of emergency declared in St. Louis County
As the Ferguson unrest ensued, St. Louis County-Executive, Steve Stenger announced the declaration of the 'state of emergency' following recent tumultous events indicating an year of Brown's death The St. Louis County prosecuting attorney's office issued criminal charges against Tyrone Harris, who remained hospitalized under critical conditions. About 30 protestors arrived on the Ferguson interstate as the authorities braced themselves for further agitations.
An 18-year-old African-American, Michael Brown was fatally shot by 28-year-old white policeman, Darren Wilson at Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St.Louis County (U.S). Brown was a suspect in a robbery case committed minutes before the shooting. Wilson identified him on the road and in the altercation that followed shot Brown several times before he died. This sparked a vigorous political-racial debate in the U.S.
Following the incident, fierce protests emerged as protestors believed that Brown had his hands held up when he was shot. The incident created a stir with both non-violent protests as well as vandalism, resulting in riots and night-curfews creating a global debate about racial politics and militarization of police-forces. The media reports showed police militarization during protests which was thoroughly criticized by politicians.
The Grand Jury appointed to investigate the case announced their verdict which did not incriminate Wilson, ratifying that Brown was shot in self-defence. The decision further maddened the protestors who burnt police cars, buildings etc. leading to riots, road-blocks and rallies. The police retaliated with tear gas and arrested many. International protests were also reported in places such as Canada and London (UK).
Protests emerged outside Ferguson Police department on March 11, after the resignation of the Chief-of-Police. Amidst the protests, two police officers were shot in the early morning of March 12 outside the police-station. An extensive manhunt was launched to arrest the responsible person. On March 14, 20-year-old African-American, Jeffrey Williams was arrested who admitted the crime, stating that his targets were not the policemen.
9 August 2015 was the first anniversary of Brown's fatal shooting. Peaceful protestors had gathered around his memorial and maintained four-and-a-half minutes of silence as it was believed that Brown's body was left unattended for four-and-a-half hours on the street.
A 18-year, identified as Tyrone Harris, a friend of Michael Brown was shot after a day of commemorating Brown's death at Ferguson. He was shot after he engaged himself in a gunfight with the St.Louis County-Police. During the gunfight, Harris allegedly fired on four plain-clothed policemen, resulting in the policemen firing at him. He underwent emergency surgery after he was rushed to hospital.
A 17-year-old and a 19-year-old were shot at the Canfield Apartment Complex at around 2am, near the spot where Michael Brown died last year. Three hours after Harris was injured, the teenagers were shot by an African-American male in a red hoodie who drove by in a vehicle. They were rushed to the hospital and are being treated for injuries that are non-life threatening.
