Two police officers were shot during a protest outside the Ferguson, Missouri police headquarters early on Thursday, police said, just hours after the city's police chief quit following a damning justice report into his department.
One was shot in the face, another in the shoulder.
Unverified footage posted online shows the crowd before the sound of gunshots and screaming.
A few dozen demonstrators fled following the sound of gunfire around midnight with some screaming, "They hit a cop," according to a Reuters photographer at the scene.
Several dozen protesters had gathered in front of the Ferguson police department earlier on Wednesday night, just hours after the city's police chief, Thomas Jackson, announced his resignation.
Prominent activist Deray McKesson said on Twitter that he was at the scene, adding that the gunfire did not appear to come from the group of demonstrators.
"The shooter was not with the protesters. The shooter was atop the hill. We can live in a world without guns," McKesson said.
Police outside the Ferguson Police Department, Wednesday, March 11, 2015, in Ferguson, Mo. (AP Photo) Source: AP
Protesters had called for Jackson's removal since the fatal shooting of unarmed black 18-year-old Michael Brown by white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9, 2014.
The killing triggered nationwide protests and drew scrutiny to police use of deadly force, especially against black men. Neither a grand jury nor the federal probe led to charges against Wilson.
Jackson's departure was the latest in a string of officials who stepped down following a scathing report from the U.S. Justice Department that found widespread racially biased abuses in the city's police department and municipal court.
Wednesday's demonstration had been tense but peaceful throughout the night. Several dozen people attended, and at one point demonstrators hung a flag with the words "Racism Lives Here" over a silhouette of the St. Louis skyline and drew chalk outlines in the parking lot of the department.
Police arrest a demonstrator outside the Ferguson Police Department, Wednesday, March 11, 2015, in Ferguson, Mo (AP Photo) Source: AP
Later, some two dozen officers clad in riot gear faced off against the demonstrators, who had relocated to the street. At least two people were taken into custody.
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