FERGUSON, Mo. — Two officers were shot outside the Ferguson, Missouri police headquarters early Thursday, authorities said, as demonstrators gathered following the resignation of the city’s embattled police chief in the wake of a scathing Justice Department report alleging bias in the police department and court.
A 32-year-old officer from nearby Webster Groves was shot in the face and a 41-year-old officer from St. Louis County was shot in the shoulder, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said at a news conference.
Both were taken to a hospital where, Belmar said, they were conscious. He said he did not have further details about their conditions but described their injuries as “serious.”
“I don’t know who did the shooting, to be honest with you,” Belmar said, adding that he could not provide a description of the suspect or gun.
He said his “assumption” was that, based on where the officers were standing and the trajectory of the bullets, “these shots were directed exactly at my officers.”
Police sources were calling the gunfire an “ambush” and said whoever fired the shots was at large, CBS St. Louis affiliate KMOV-TV reported.
The station says the two victims were standing next to each other, working crowd control.
