Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon on Monday lifted the curfew he'd imposed in Ferguson and said the National Guard troops he has deployed will have a limited mission in just one area of the city.
Nixon called out the Guard early Monday after a fresh spasm of violence Sunday night, perhaps the worst to strike Ferguson since the police shooting of Michael Brown set off the unrest.
He said this afternoon that the troops will be limited to protecting the police command post, which came under attack by hundreds of protesters Sunday night.
“With these additional resources in place,” Mr. Nixon said, “the Missouri State Highway Patrol and local law enforcement will continue to respond appropriately to incidents of lawlessness and violence, and protect the civil rights of all peaceful citizens to make their voices heard.”
Meanwhile, there were conflicting news reports today about the wounds suffered by Michael Brown, the unarmed black teenager whose shooting by a white police officer prompted the protests rocking Ferguson.
The New York Times reported that a private autopsy found that Brown was shot at least six times, including twice in the head. The autopsy, conducted by a former chief medical examiner in New York City, concluded that the last shot struck Brown on the top of the head, indicating that he was bent forward when the bullet entered his skull.
The Times report said Brown was also also shot four times in the right arm and that all six rounds struck him in the front of his body; there were no gunpowder burns on the body, suggesting that the shots were not fired from close up. The doctor noted that he did not have access to Brown's clothing to check it for powder burns.
The Washington Post this afternoon reported that the St. Louis County medical examiner said Brown was shot in the head and chest multiple times. She would not comment further, and there was no additional information available to reconcile the two accounts. There are at least three autopsies: a private one by the former ME in New York City; the official one performed by the St. Louis County ME; and a third ordered by the U.S. Justice Department.
Citing an unidentified "person familiar with the county's investigation," the Post also reported that the county autopsy found marijuana in Brown's system.
In Washington, President Obama announced this afternoon that Attorney General Eric Holder will go to Ferguson this week.
“I’ll be watching over the next several days to assess whether it’s helping rather than hindering," Obama said of Nixon's decision to deploy National Guard troops.
By most accounts, Sunday was the worst of a series of increasingly tense nights in Ferguson as police again clashed with protesters.
“Tonight, a day of hope, prayers, and peaceful protests was marred by the violent criminal acts of an organized and growing number of individuals, many from outside the community and state, whose actions are putting the residents and businesses of Ferguson at risk,” the governor said in a statement. “I am directing the highly capable men and women of the Missouri National Guard to assist … in restoring peace and order to this community.”
Capt. Ronald S. Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said at least one person was shot Sunday night and a police spokesman said “seven or eight” people were arrested for “failure to disperse.”
In a 1 a.m. press briefing, Johnson appeared frustrated and called Sunday’s display “a coordinated effort,” that had nothing to do with the recently imposed midnight curfew, considering the violence started at about 8:30 p.m.
“There were multiple reports of Molotov cocktails. Police being shot at. Makeshift barricades were set up to block the police. Bottles and rocks were thrown at police,” Johnson recounted. “Based on these conditions, I had no alternative but to elevate the level of our response.”
Dozens of canisters of smoke bombs and tear gas were fired upon the crowd by approaching police in heavy vehicles. In return, angry protests lobbed Molotov cocktails and even threw the smoke bombs back.
As the crowd retreated down West Florissant Avenue, they destroyed almost everything in their path. One man, angry that the McDonald’s, which had been a media headquarters, would not let people in who were choking on tear gas, picked up a brick and hurled it at the window, nearly hitting a reporter who was standing near it. He fractured the glass, but didn’t break it. So he picked up the brick again and shattered the window.
Stores were looted and the decorative bricks in front of a storage unit facility were dismantled and thrown in the street in an effort to stop the police advance.
Gunshots rang throughout the night, causing the already panicked crowds to scatter. Protesters walked through the streets dazed and injured. One woman ran screaming that she was hit in the leg with a rubber bullet. A stranger was bandaging another woman’s bloody arm. She said a gas canister crashed through her car window.
“I never support the looting and destroying of the community,” said Katie Hollingsworth, who grew up in Ferguson and was trying to get home Sunday night. “People are outraged and pissed. I honestly feel that this is not going to be over anytime soon. This is like World War III.”
Johnson, who spoke in a local church Sunday morning, said the day began peacefully, which was heartening after the previous long night of violence.
“We were walking with and listening to the peaceful protesters, voicing their frustration in a way that doesn’t put others in personal danger,” Johnson said. “That is also why, when we saw violent acts, including shootings and throwing of Molotov cocktails and the destroying of businesses, we had to act to protect lives and property.”
Johnson carefully outlined the evening’s events, which he said started at about 8:25 p.m. with the “shooting of a civilian on West Florissant and Ferguson avenues.”
According to Johnson, who was appointed Thursday by Nixon to restore order in Ferguson:
- 8:26 p.m.: shots were fired "to the north on Canfield Avenue," the street on which Brown was killed.
- 8:27 p.m.: report of a person down.
- 8:28 p.m.: report of eight people with guns, which led to tactical teams being dispatched.
- 8:56 p.m.: hundreds of protesters marched toward the police command post at a shopping center. "As the crowd approached the shopping center, multiple Molotov cocktails were thrown at police," Johnson said. "At the time police deployed tear gas and attempted to disperse the crowd and stop the violent action."
- 9:15 p.m.: police got a call about a crowd gathering at the McDonald's on West Florissant. Five minutes later, it was reported that the restaurant had been taken and employees were taking shelter in the storage room.
Authorities had the violence mostly under control by midnight, but with attacks seeming to worsen each night, the outlook is bleak.
“Everyday it is getting worse and worse,” said Talia Lowe, who drove over from St. Louis to participate in the marches and protests. Earlier on Sunday, the Rev. Al Sharpton called for calm and told protesters to stand down – especially whenever Brown’s funeral is held. Lowe isn’t so sure that can happen and predicts more violence – particularly on the day of the funeral, which hasn’t been set yet.
“They are not going to disrespect the family,” Lowe said. “But they are going to disrespect the streets.”
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