Protests have erupted following the fatal shooting of Missouri teen Michael Brown last Saturday, as he walked through a St. Louis neighborhood from a routine trip to the store. Instead his grandmother discovered his body sprawled out in the street, where it remained for more than four hours uncovered after he was fatally gunned down by a police officer.
While initial reports indicated that the authorities may have been called in connection with an alleged shoplifting that occurred at the store that Brown frequented that afternoon, this was later proven to be false.
Details are still emerging as to what exactly transpired in the moments leading up to the altercation, though witnesses have advised that the teen was neither armed nor resisting at the time he was gunned down; calling into question the force used by the officer, who has since been placed on administrative leave. Early reports have also indicated that the teen, who was slated to begin college on Monday, had his arms were held high prior to being shot 10 times.
Racial tensions have since soared within Ferguson, a suburban area of St. Louis of roughly 21,000 residents, as the community struggles to comprehend the death of yet another Black youth, in a disturbing trend that has been seen throughout the nation.
The credibility of the Ferguson Police Department has also been called into question, as a report highlighting the blatant disproportion in arrests and stops between white and Black residents became available to the public.
As protestors convened in the area of the shooting yesterday evening, they were met with canine force and authorities already dressed in riot gear, which foreshadowed the actual riot that ensued last night.