Ferguson protester photographed with tear gas canister, bag of chips found dead: report

A man featured in an iconic photo of the 2014 protests in Ferguson, Missouri, has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to a report.

Edward Crawford was 27, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

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Crawford gained attention after he was photographed by the Post-Dispatch during the August 2014 protests. He wore an American flag T-shirt and tossed a tear gas canister that had been thrown by police back toward officers. He held a bag of chips in his other hand.

He was later charged with assault.

Crawford’s father, Edward Crawford Sr., confirmed on Friday to the Post-Dispatch that his son was found dead of a gunshot wound overnight Thursday. Police told the newspaper that the gunshot wound was self-inflicted, but it was not immediately clear whether the shooting was intentional or an accident.

Officers told the Post-Dispatch that Crawford was in a car with two women in St. Louis’ Hyde Park neighborhood when he was shot.

“The women told police that Crawford had started talking about how depressed he was,” the newspaper reported. “They heard him fumbling around for something, and the next thing they knew, he shot himself.”

Crawford’s father told the Post-Dispatch that he doesn’t believe his son killed himself.

"He was wonderful, great, always in a good mood," he told the newspaper, adding that he last saw his son two days earlier. "He just got a new apartment and was training for a new job."

Crawford was the father of four children.