The National Guard would be sent into the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson to restore calm, Missouri’s governor has said on Monday.
Gov Jay Nixon signed an executive order deploying the US state militia, saying demonstrators had thrown Molotov cocktails and shot at police as well as a civilian, a description of the night’s events diverging widely from some eyewitness accounts.
“Tonight, a day of hope, prayers, and peaceful protests was marred by the violent criminal acts of an organised and growing number of individuals, many from outside the community and state, whose actions are putting the residents and businesses of Ferguson at risk,” Nixon said in a statement on his website.
A midnight curfew was imposed for the second night in the tense St Louis suburb hit by racially charged demonstrations, violence and looting since Michael Brown, 18, was shot to death on Aug. 9 by white police officer Darren Wilson.
At around dusk on Sunday, hundreds of protesters in Ferguson including families with young children fled to safety after police wearing gas masks and body armor fired tear gas and smoke canisters to scatter them hours ahead of the curfew.
“The smoke bombs were completely unprovoked,” said Anthony Ellis, 45. “It (the protest) was led by kids on bikes. Next you know they’re saying, ‘Go home, Go home!'”
The Missouri Highway Patrol said “aggressors” were trying to infiltrate a law enforcement command post and that armored vehicles were deployed to ensure public safety.
“We ordered them back. We ordered them back again. After several attempts, we utilized the smoke to disperse these individuals,” said Highway Patrol Corporal Justin Wheetley.
State Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson told a late night news briefing: “Molotov cocktails were thrown, there were shootings, looting, vandalism and other acts of violence that clearly appear not to have been spontaneous.”
He was explaining the police tactics against what he said had to that point been a peaceful demonstration.
“Coordinated acts” by a few in the crowd were “premeditated criminal acts designed … to provoke a response,” Johnson said. “I had no alternative but to elevate the level of our response.”
He noted most of the protesters were peaceful and blamed the trouble on “a few people bent on violence and destruction.”
Johnson said the trouble began after police responded to the shooting of a civilian at 8.25pm, which was followed by gunfire directed towards police and Molotov cocktails being thrown. At least one other person was shot, and several were arrested. No police were injured.
Officials said Ferguson schools would be closed on Monday.
The authorities forcibly dispersed a crowd protesting last week’s fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen by police.
Source: Dhaka Tribune