A Ferguson police officer was shot Saturday night in the St. Louis suburb where the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black teen sparked days of protests, according to officials. The officer was shot close to the area impacted by protests last month over the shooting of Michael Brown, a senior local police source with official knowledge of the situation told NBC News. St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said he did not think the officer's shooting was related to two separate protests about Michael Brown's shooting that were taking place, according to The Associated Press.
Ferguson Police directed media calls regarding the incident to the Devin James Group, a public relations firm. It said the officer was shot in the arm while interrupting a burglary at a business. The officer was then taken to a local hospital, NBC affiliate KSDK reported. Belmar told a media briefing early Sunday that the officer encountered two men at a community center who ran from him, the AP reported, and one suspect opened fire during a foot chase. He added that the officer had returned fire but that police have "no indication" either suspect was shot. The officer is expected to survive. A separate statement from St. Louis County Police only mentioned one suspect. It was not immediately possible to clarify.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
