A tense protest over the fatal police shooting of a black 18-year-old in St. Louis — which saw demonstrators burning the American flag and cops using pepper spray — ended with eight arrests, officials said Friday. Two police vehicles were damaged and one cop was hit in the arm with a brick during a second night of unrest, which came as authorities braced for possible weekend rioting. Rallies and marches are planned to mark the two months since a white officer in nearby Ferguson, Missouri, shot and killed unarmed black teen Michael Brown. Some officials are concerned the gatherings could flare into violence.
Against that backdrop, an off-duty officer in neighboring St. Louis shot and killed Vonderrit Myers, a high-school student who was facing trial on a weapons charge, on Wednesday night. Police say the officer fired 17 times after Myers shot at him, but city and state leaders have called for a Justice Department probe into possible racial profiling. A quiet candlelight vigil for Myers turned rowdy as protesters taunted police officers in riot gear. Some in the crowd attacked police vans, and officers used pepper spray to keep people back. Of those arrested, five were charged with unlawful assembly, two with property damage and one with marijuana possession.
IN-DEPTH
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- Ferguson Top Cop's Attempt to Calm Tensions Backfires
- What Ferguson Can Learn From the Rodney King Riots
