FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) – A man who opened fire on officers in Ferguson, Missouri, is in “critical, unstable” condition after being struck when the officers returned fire, the St. Louis County Police chief said early Monday.
Chief Jon Belmar said at a news conference that plainclothes officers had been tracking the man, who they believed was armed, during a protest marking the anniversary of the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.
The man approached the officers, who were in an unmarked police van, and opened fire, Belmar said. The officers returned fire from inside the vehicle and then pursued the man on foot when he ran.
The man again fired on the officers, the chief said, and all four officers fired back. He was struck and fell.
The man was taken to a hospital, where Belmar said he was in “critical, unstable” condition in surgery. He was not immediately identified. None of the officers was seriously injured.