The unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, continued on Monday night, one day after a vigil for Michael Brown, an unarmed black teen fatally shot by a police officer, turned violent. Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson told the Associated Press that throughout the day, hundreds of people gathered at the burned-out convenience store that was looted and destroyed on Sunday night. Jackson said the crowd became unruly and started throwing rocks at police, so officers fired tear gas and shot “beanbag rounds” in an attempt to subdue them. Police shouted at the protesters to “get out of the street” and “return to your homes,” according to the Washington Post. Some residents said police trapped them by blocking the one road that leads into their development, and many refused to leave, laying in the street with their hands up and chanting “don’t shoot!” Here’s a look at the clash between police and protesters, as captured on social media.
For a second night, Antonio French, an alderman of the 21st Ward in St. Louis, documented the protests on Vine.
The Washington Post’s Wesley Lowery, who was reporting from Ferguson, said there was no repeat of Sunday night’s looting.
The New York Times’ Julie Bosman reported on Twitter that journalists were caught in the crossfire. Police fired rubber bullets into a crowd that included reporters and photographers, and protesters damaged her car, thinking she was with the police.
Police reported that there were five arrests and no injuries, but witnesses said some protesters were hurt.
As the sun went down, police began firing tear-gas cannisters.
Police told the local news media they had to leave so they could disperse the crowd.
Police ordered demonstrators to return to their homes, but some resisted.
Lowery said a 23-year-old man told him he was hit by rubber bullets and tear gas while trying to obey police orders.
Bosman said residents were pleading with police to allow them to go through the barrier and return to their homes.
The situation finally calmed down around 10:30 p.m. as police managed to clear the streets, but many fear that this is just the beginning.