The police shooting of an unarmed teenager in a St. Louis suburb over the weekend triggered angry demonstrations Sunday morning and vandalism and looting Sunday night, local media reported.
A few thousand demonstrators had gathered for a candlelight vigil in the evening to honor the dead man, Michael Brown, 18, who was shot Saturday around noon by a Ferguson police officer.
Mourners placed candles, flowers and a teddy bear where Brown was killed, the Associated Press reported, and some youths spray-painted “R.I.P. Michael” on the street.
But then the mood turned ugly. Television footage showed people vandalizing police cars, kicking in store windows and carrying out goods, including bottles of alcohol. At least one large fire was reported.
St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley confirmed widespread property damage but said no injuries had been reported.
“Right now, the small group of people are creating a huge mess,” Ferguson Mayor James Knowles told Fox 2 KTVI-TV. “Contributing to the unrest that is going on is not going to help. … We’re only hurting ourselves, only hurting our community, hurting our neighbors.”
Posted by Libergirl