Ferguson Protests Turn Violent; Two People Shot, One Suspect In Custody

Update as of 4:00 a.m. EDT: A second person was wounded overnight following shootings at a protest site in Ferguson, Missouri, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

The victim was reportedly in the area where some protesters had moved Tuesday night after police ordered them to leave the site of a demonstration where another man had been shot. However, police did not confirm the incident, according to Reuters.

Original story:

At least one person was shot Tuesday night in Ferguson, Missouri, during demonstrations over the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore. About 50 people gathered near the site where Michael Brown, an unarmed black teen, was fatally shot by a white police officer last August in the St. Louis suburb.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that gunfire engulfed Ferguson while protests continued, with at least 15 gunshots heard in the area. However, it was unclear if the shootings were linked to the demonstrations, according to Reuters. Police reportedly took one person into custody and recovered a gun from the scene. There were reports that a second person was wounded in the shooting.

Rocks were thrown at police vehicles monitoring the protests, a witness said, according to local reports. Protesters also reportedly blocked traffic in West Florissant, following which police warned demonstrators of arrests and “chemical munitions.”

The Ferguson demonstrations coincided with violent protests in Baltimore where locals have faced off with police over Gray's death. Gray, the latest victim of police violence in the United States, died from a spinal injury while in police custody. Following widespread violence across the city, an overnight curfew has been initiated, which will last through May 4.

Meanwhile, protests against police violence were also seen in other parts of the U.S. In Chicago, several people were arrested Tuesday night after a scuffle broke out between protesters and police during an attempt to block traffic. In South Los Angeles, at least six people were arrested.

In Hamilton County, Ohio, a rally has been planned for Thursday. “We Demand that police officers involved with the killing of Freddie Gray be arrested, indicted and jailed,” organizers of the rally wrote in a Facebook event. “We Demand the curfew in Baltimore be lifted immediately. We Demand the immediate release of all protesters and that all of their charges be dropped.”