Once again, violence in Ferguson, MS has made national headlines, and racial tensions continue to reverberate throughout the St. Louis suburb.
20-year-old Ferguson resident Jeffrey Williams is accused of opening fire on two St. Louis Police Officers during the waning hours of an anti-police brutality protest being held outside of the police department last week. Williams allegedly shot at the officers from within a car, striking one officer in the right shoulder and the other in the face. The injuries are considered non-life threatening, and both officers have been released from the hospital. It wasn’t immediately clear if there were other suspects inside the vehicle. Reports from the precinct indicate police are still investigating the crime, but so far Williams is the only person charged.
The shooting comes at a tense time in Ferguson. Of course, the community is still reeling from the violent protests that erupted in the weeks following the shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown last summer. Complicating matters further, a recent Justice Department review found massive amounts of racial bias within the police force. As of now, it’s not clear if Williams had any real connection to the activist groups protesting recent events, but that hasn’t stopped St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch from publicly speculating about Williams’ potential involvement with protestors.
In response to Williams’ claim that he wasn’t aiming for police officers when he fired but rather shooting at someone he was in a previous altercation with, McCulloch said, “We’re not sure we completely buy that part of [his story].” He also told reporters Williams had attended a different protest a week prior to this incident.
Activist group leaders and members have denied any connection — or even any familiarity — with Williams, which suggests he was not a member of the non-violent protests that have recently been taking place in Ferguson and was acting as a “Lone Wolf.” In fact, Brittany Ferrell, the leader of the Millennial Activist United protest group, said she suspected McCulloch’s comments were meant as a way to give negative coverage to the generally peaceful protest movement.
“This is a fear tactic,” Ferrell said of McCulloch’s comments. “We are very tight-knit. We know each other by face, if not by name, and we have never seen this person.”
No matter what Williams’ affiliations with the protesters are, and no matter what his frustrations with the police forces may be, attempted assassinations are absolutely NOT the way to a better world. Our prayers are with the Ferguson community as they continue to grapple with such awful violence.
