Police, protesters clash; 2 people taken to hospital with gunshot wounds



FERGUSON, Mo. (CNN) -- An evening of peaceful protests devolved into clashes in Ferguson Monday night as a few protesters hurled bottles and rocks at a heavy police presence, and they responded by firing stun grenades and tear gas. Some arrests were made.

Police in riot gear and gas masks formed a barricade. They used LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) crowd control systems to send out piercing and painful sounds to disperse the crowd.

Police told protesters they had to keep walking. If they stood still, they were warned, they risked arrest for unlawful assembly. Most obliged, but not all.

One protester ripped out a "Do Not Enter" street sign and pointed it toward officers.

Then, things deteriorated rapidly.

Some reported shots being fired. A few Molotov cocktails were also thrown.

Police responded with tear gas and stun grenades.

Then, with guns drawn, police moved in toward the protesters to clear the area.

Officers told reporters it was for "public safety," and that there had been a gunshot victim. They didn't elaborate.

Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson later told CNN that two people had been taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds. Their conditions were not known.

"At the end of this, we're gonna be classed as insurgents," an upset protester told CNN.

Demonstrators protesting the shooting death of Michael Brown make their voices heard on August 18, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Protesters have been vocal asking for justice in the shooting death of Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer on August



According to the version on KFTK, phoned in by a woman who identified herself as "Josie," the altercation on August 9 began after Officer Darren Wilson rolled down his window to tell Brown and a friend to stop walking in the street.

When Wilson tried to get out of his cruiser, Brown first tried to push the officer back into the car, then punched him in the face and grabbed for his gun before breaking free after the gun went off once, the caller said.

Wilson pursued Brown and his friend, ordering them to freeze, according to the account. When they turned around, Brown began taunting Wilson, saying he would not arrest them, then ran at the officer at full speed, the caller said.

Wilson then began shooting. The final shot was to Brown's forehead, and the teenager fell two or three feet in front of Wilson, said the caller, who identified herself as the officer's friend.

A source with detailed knowledge of the investigation later told CNN the caller's account is "accurate," in that it matches what Wilson has told investigators.

But accounts of exactly what happened when Wilson stopped Brown vary widely.

Witnesses said they saw a scuffle between the officer and Brown at the police car before the young man was shot. Several witnesses said Brown raised his hands and was not attacking the officer.

Piaget Crenshaw said she was sitting in her home when she witnessed the shooting. She captured video of the aftermath, including images of Brown's body lying in the middle of the street.

Crenshaw said Brown was running away from police and then turned around. She said that was when Brown was shot.

Police provided a different narrative, saying Brown struggled with the officer and reached for his weapon.

Parallel investigations

A grand jury will hear testimony from witnesses and decide on whether to return an indictment in the case, Ed McGee, spokesman for the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney, said Monday, stressing there is "no time line on this case."

In addition to that proceeding, the Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into Brown's death. Attorney General Eric Holder will travel to Ferguson this week, to meet with investigators there.

"I realize there is tremendous interest in the facts of the incident that led to Michael Brown's death, but I ask for the public's patience as we conduct this investigation," the attorney general said in a statement.

"The selective release of sensitive information that we have seen in this case so far is troubling to me. No matter how others pursue their own separate inquiries, the Justice Department is resolved to preserve the integrity of its investigation."

Autopsy findings

An autopsy conducted for the family of Brown found no evidence that he struggled with Wilson before his death, according to the pathologist in charge of the examination.

Dr. Michael Baden conducted the autopsy after an official examination by the St. Louis County medical examiner's office.

The autopsy results are the latest development in the investigation into Brown's death, which has resulted in nightly, sometimes violent, protests in Ferguson that have prompted Missouri's governor to declare a curfew and send in the state National Guard.

"Given these deliberate, coordinated and intensifying violent attacks on lives and property in Ferguson, I am directing the highly capable men and women of the Missouri National Guard ... in restoring peace and order to this community," Gov. Jay Nixon said in a statement.

Later, he told reporters the National Guard would have a "limited mission" to protect the command center in Ferguson.

The protests have also gained international attention. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement Monday on the events in Ferguson, saying that he "hopes local and federal investigations will shed full light on the killing" of Brown. Ban called on authorities to ensure that people are able to assemble peacefully and urged law enforcement to abide by U.S. and "international standards in dealing with demonstrations."

Gunfire, tear gas and Molotov cocktails Sunday night marked some of the fiercest clashes yet between police and protesters furious about the death of the unarmed teenager.