Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said he would visit the St. Louis suburbs Thursday after police fired tear gas to break up crowds in a fourth night of civil unrest over the police killing of an unarmed black teenager.
Sixteen people were arrested, including two reporters, on Wednesday night in the suburb of Ferguson, and police said that two officers were injured, one hit by a brick, NBC affiliate KSDK reported.
Police have not released the name of the officer who shot and killed the teenager, Michael Brown, on Saturday. The police response to protests on Wednesday included officers in military gear training guns on crowds.
Nixon said in a statement that the worsening situation in Ferguson was “deeply troubling.” He canceled a planned visit to the state fair and planned to meet with local clergy Thursday morning. “While we all respect the solemn responsibility of our law enforcement officers to protect the public, we must also safeguard the rights of Missourians to peaceably assemble and the rights of the press to report on matters of public concern,” he said.
IN-DEPTH
- Tear Gas and Handcuffs: Violence Erupts in Ferguson
- Michael Brown's Friend: He Was Shot 'Like An Animal'
