St. Louis County Police officers stand over Tyrone Harris Jr., who was shot and wounded by detectives during protests one year after the death of Michael Brown. (Getty)
A teen is in critical condition after he was shot by four St. Louis County Police detectives during protests in Ferguson, Missouri, on the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown’s death.
Tyrone Harris Jr., 18, was identified by his father, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. His father told the newspaper his son got out of surgery about 3 a.m. The shooting happened about 11:30 p.m.
Police said Harris shot at the plainclothes detectives after he was involved in a shootout with another group outside of the Ferguson Market on West Florissant Avenue in the middle of protests.
Harris was charged Monday morning with four counts of first-degree assault on law enforcement, five counts of armed criminal action and one count of shooting a firearm at a motor vehicle, St. Louis County court records show. The charges are all felonies. He is being held on $250,000 cash-only bond.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. He Was a Recent High School Graduate & Was Friends With Michael Brown
A young boy looks at Harris as he lays wounded on a street in Ferguson after being shot by police. (Getty)
Tyrone Harris’ father, Tyrone Sr., told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that his son was a recent graduate of Normandy High School, the school where Michael Brown also graduated from. Harris Sr. told the newspaper his son was “real close” with Brown.
“We think there’s a lot more to this than what’s being said,” Harris Sr. told the Post-Dispatch.
2. Police Said Harris Fired at Police Detectives & Their SUV
St. Louis County police officers respond in an MRAP vehicle after shots were fired during a protest march on August 9, 2015 on West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, Missouri. (Getty)
St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said the victim, who police have not identified but who was identified by his father as Tyrone Harris Jr., fired at the plainclothes detectives twice. Belmar said the officers followed the victim after he was engaged in a shootout with another group of men at about 11:15 p.m.
The officers followed Harris in an unmarked vehicle. Belmar said he fired at the vehicle and the detectives returned fire from inside. Harris then ran away and eventually opened fire on the officers again. The four detectives fired at Harris from outside the vehicle and struck him.
Police have not said how many times the victim was shot.
According to police, a stolen gun was recovered from the scene of the shooting.
The plainclothes detectives were wearing vests that identified them as police, Belmar said. The chief said the victim was a “criminal” and not a protester.
3. A Protester Captured the Aftermath of the Shooting on Video & Begged Police to Help Harris
A member of the local protest movement, Tony Rice, who goes by @Search4Swag on Twitter, captured the aftermath of the shooting. In his videos, Rice can be seen begging police to help the bleeding victim, Harris Jr., as he is on the ground with officers standing over him.
The victim was eventually taken to the hospital. Rice was detained but not arrested.
Watch more videos from the scene at the link below:
4. The Gunfire Caused Police, Protesters & Reporters to Duck for Cover
A St. Louis County police officer takes cover behind a car after shots were fired. (Getty)
The shots fired sent reporters, protesters and police running for cover.
A video posted by RT shows the shootout in the Ferguson Market parking lot:
Video from CNN showed the moments as several shots rang out while they were interviewing Ferguson’s interim police chief, Andre Anderson. Watch it below:
As new interim #Ferguson police chief talks to us shots ring out. Listen. Tears and screaming after pic.twitter.com/mY7zbKXOoO
— Sara Sidner (@sarasidnerCNN) August 10, 2015
The Associated Press also posted video from the scene:
Police said about 40 to 50 shots were fired over about a 45-second period prior to the officer-involved shooting.
5. A Teen Was Arrested During an Earlier Shooting at the Protests
Hopson. (St. Louis County Police)
A 17-year-old from St. Louis was arrested early Sunday in a separate shooting during protests at about 12 a.m. Sunday, nearly 24 hours before the officer-involved shooting, St. Louis County Police said in a press release.
Trevion Hopson was charged with two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and one count of resisting arrest. He was held on $100,000 cash-only bond.
A 22-year-old victim was found in the parking lot of Family Dollar on West Florissant Avenue after shots were fired across from the McDonald’s restaurant nearby. The victim was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Michael Brown’s family and protesters gathered Sunday in Ferguson to remember and honor Brown one year after his death. A moment of silence was held and protesters marched peacefully through the streets.
Michael Brown Sr. comforts his wife during a moment of silence for his son. (Getty)
The 18-year-old Brown was not armed when he was shot by Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson, who was not charged in the shooting.
Brown’s death started the #BlackLivesMatter movement and led to protests and a push for change after several similar incidents later in 2014 and in 2015.
There have been at least 704 people killed by police so far in 2015, according to The Guardian’s project, The Counted.
