Yesterday, Missouri governor Jay Nixon declared Ferguson, Missouri to be in a state of emergency following the protests surrounding the death of Michael Brown. The Governor imposed a curfew on citizens from midnight until 5 a.m. and Captain Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol promised to help enforce the nighttime restriction.
But last night when midnight came around, many protestors showed no signs of returning home.
Though Captain Johnson said that tear gas and smoke grenades would not be used to enforce the curfew, the now-familiar riot gear, tear gas and armored vehicles did appear when many protestors failed to comply with the curfew’s strict midnight cut-off. The New York Times reports that seven people were arrested for “failure to disperse” and Johnson confirmed this in a press conference early this morning.
Related: Michael Brown Shooting: A Timeline Of The Fallout In Ferguson
The brief press conference was held at 3 a.m. this morning. Johnson revealed that there were subjects on the roof of a Red’s Barbecue, a restaurant in the area, and reports of an armed gunman in the street around the area.
There was also a report of a shooting victim and a shooting at a police car. Johnson said the shooting victim is a male in critical condition and there are currently no leads on the shooter. He said it was these circumstances that motivated Johnson’s decision to use tear gas, smoke and other measures.
Johnson said he was disappointed in the events of the night. Watch his press conference below.
There was no word on whether or not the curfew will continue tonight, but Governor Nixon also commented on the release of security footage that implicates Brown in a convenience store robbery.”We were unaware they were going to release it, and we certainly were not happy with that being released,” Nixon said today (August 17) during an interview with ABC’s “This Week.” “It appeared to cast dispersions on a young man that was gunned down in the street. It made emotions raw. ”
We will continue to update this story as it develops.
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