National
State Police Take Over Ferguson Security; No Arrests Overnight
Police and protesters square off outside the Ferguson Police Department, Wednesday, March 11, 2015, in Ferguson, Mo. Earlier in the day, the resignation of Ferguson police chief Thomas Jackson was announced in the wake of a scathing Justice Department report prompted by the fatal shooting of an unarmed black 18-year-old by a white police officer. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
(Bloomberg) — St. Louis County police and the Missouri State Highway Patrol took over security for protests in Ferguson Thursday evening after two officers were shot in the city.
Calm prevailed overnight as dozens gathered for an evening candlelight vigil and later at the police department for a protest. No arrests were made, Brian Schellman, a spokesman for the St. Louis County police, said Friday in an e-mail. State and county authorities will handle protests until further notice in the town wracked by unrest since a white policeman killed an unarmed black teenager in August. Ferguson’s police department will still handle routine matters.
Violent protests in Ferguson and police killings in New York and Cleveland ignited demonstrations last year and a national discussion about race and law-enforcement tactics in the U.S. Police across the country have been on alert since December, when two officers were shot in their patrol car in Brooklyn by a man claiming to be retaliating for killings of unarmed black men.
Early Thursday, at least three shots fired from across the street from the Ferguson police station struck a 32-year-old officer from nearby Webster Groves in the face and a 41-year-old policeman from St. Louis County in the shoulder as they were standing in a line of about 25 officers, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said at a news conference Thursday.
