FERGUSON, MISSOURI ¨C A 20-year-old man was charged on Sunday with first-degree assault for last week¡¯s shooting of two police officers during a protest in the troubled city Ferguson, Missouri, a crime that fueled a national debate on race and policing.
The suspect, Jeffrey Williams, has admitted firing the shots and was from the general St. Louis area, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch told a news conference.
¡°It was not certain if he had been targeting police,¡± he added.
The St. Louis suburb has been racked with protests since a white police officer killed unarmed black resident Michael Brown, 18, last summer. The killing sparked demonstrations around the country and led to a U.S. Justice Department probe.
Williams, an African-American who had been on probation for possession of stolen property, was arrested after a massive manhunt. Tips from the public and video evidence helped in the investigation, McCulloch said.
¡°He has acknowledged his participation in firing the shots,¡± McCulloch said, adding Williams was also charged with shooting a firearm from a motor vehicle.
The suspect, whose bond was set at $300,000, appears to have fired a .40 caliber handgun from a car and it is possible he was shooting at someone else, McCulloch said.
A handgun was recovered in his residence and matched shell casings found at the scene, according to McCulloch, who said although Williams appears to be the only shooter, other people may be charged as the investigation continues.
In the Thursday shooting, a county police officer, 41, suffered a shoulder wound and a colleague, 32, from a nearby police department sustained a facial wound that left a bullet lodged near his ear. Both were treated and released by a local hospital.
¡°This arrest sends a clear message that acts of violence against our law enforcement personnel will never be tolerated,¡± U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.
The shootings took place just hours after Ferguson¡¯s police chief resigned in the wake of a scathing U.S. Justice Department report finding his force was rife with racial bias.
Chief Tom Jackson¡¯s resignation followed the departures of the city manager and a municipal judge.
The report said the St. Louis suburb overwhelmingly arrested and issued traffic citations to African-Americans to boost city coffers through fines, used police as a collection agency and created a culture of distrust that exploded in August when Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown.
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