Dorian Johnson was walking with Michael Brown when the 18-year-old was shot and killed by a police officer in St. Louis County, Missouri. Johnson says Brown had his hands in the air, and was unarmed, when the cop shot him. VPC
Police take up position to control demonstrators who were protesting the killing of teenager Michael Brown on Tuesday in Ferguson, Mo.(Photo: Scott Olson, Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – One person was shot by police overnight, not far from the unrest that unfolded for the third night in Ferguson where last week's shooting of an unarmed black teen sparked outrage.
Last night's shooting happened just before 1 a.m. Wednesday at Chambers Road and Sheffingdell Court in unincorporated St. Louis County.
Police say they responded to a report about four masked men carrying shotguns in the area. The caller said the suspects had fired shots.
When police arrived at the scene they saw the men running, and one turned and pointed a handgun at police.
A police officer fired at least once at the suspect, wounding him. He was taken to an area hospital in critical condition.
The shooting happened about two blocks from St. Mark Family Church, where the Rev. Al Sharpton held a gathering Tuesday night, uniting the community, which is outraged over 18-year-old Michael Brown's shooting death Saturday afternoon.
There's no word if the incident is related to the Ferguson protests. The area of the shooting was quiet Wednesday morning.
About a mile away, protests erupted for the third night in a row in Ferguson. Tuesday night's protests began peacefully, with a group of about 100 people marching from St. Mark Family Church to the QuikTrip store that was burned in Sunday's riots.
Later in the evening, however, police once again firing tear gas into the crowd. Police said they were responding to protesters who had thrown bottles at officers, according to CNN. By 1 a.m., the shooting had occurred.
Authorities on Tuesday delayed revealing the identity of the police officer who fatally shot an unarmed teen three days ago, citing threats against the officer on social media.
"If we come out and say, 'it was this officer,' then he immediately becomes a target," Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson said. "We're taking the threats seriously."
Jackson, who had said he would reveal the officer's name Tuesday, said there is now no timetable.
Tuesday evening he said the officer has been on the force for about six years and had come across 18-year-old Michael Brown Jr. and a friend walking in the street. The youths were black and witnesses said the officer was white.
Jackson said all but three of the police department's 53 officers are white.
Police have said that after the officer asked the teens to move, a scuffle occurred. Witnesses say Brown had raised his hands to surrender when the shots were fired. Police have not confirmed that information.
A second witness has told the St. Louis NAACP that Brown did not struggle with the officer inside his patrol car, where the fatal shots were fired. The unidentified person will be interviewed by FBI.
Contributing: Yamiche Alcindor, USA TODAY
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