Ferguson officer suffers severe brain injury at protest on 10th anniversary of Michael Brown’s death

A Ferguson, Missouri, constabulary serviceman was critically injured extracurricular nan city’s constabulary position during protests connected nan 10th anniversary of nan fatal shooting of Michael Brown, a pivotal infinitesimal successful nan nationalist Black Lives Matter movement, constabulary said Saturday.

Ferguson constabulary main Troy Doyle said Officer Travis Brown suffered a terrible encephalon wounded Friday aft being knocked to nan ground.

“He is successful an area infirmary correct now fighting for his life,” Doyle said.

Two different officers besides were hurt, 1 sustaining an ankle wounded and different an abrasion. Both were treated astatine nan scene.

The squad of officers went retired to make arrests Friday for demolition of spot astatine nan constabulary station, wherever protesters gathered to retrieve Michael Brown, nan unarmed Black 18-year-old who was killed by Darren Wilson, a achromatic constabulary serviceman successful 2014.

One of nan suspects was charged Saturday pinch battle of a typical victim, resisting apprehension and spot damage.

He was ordered held connected $500,000 rate only bond. No accusation was instantly listed successful online tribunal records, truthful it wasn’t known if he had an lawyer yet.

Doyle said that for nan mostly of nan night, nan protesters were peaceful. He said constabulary allowed them to artifact nan thoroughfare extracurricular nan station, posting a squad car connected each end, truthful they wouldn’t beryllium deed by vehicles.

Police besides didn’t intervene erstwhile nan protesters began shaking nan obstruction extracurricular nan station. But he said that erstwhile they collapsed a conception of fencing, he sent retired nan apprehension team.

The fishy who charged astatine Travis Brown knocked him backward pinch his shoulder, and nan serviceman deed his caput arsenic he tumbled to nan ground, Doyle said.

Court records said nan fishy past kept moving and kicked 2 officers who tried to apprehension him, leaving them pinch scratches and bruises.

Doyle said Travis Brown, who is Black, started pinch nan section successful January and antecedently worked for nan St. Louis County Police Department.

He is portion of a activity of Black officers hired into nan section since 2014. Back then, location were conscionable 3 Black officers successful nan department, but Black officers now dress up much than half of nan constabulary force, Doyle said.

“He wanted to beryllium portion of nan change,” Doyle said. “He wanted to make an effect successful our community. He’s nan type of serviceman that we want successful our community. And what happens? He gets assaulted. I had to look his mother successful nan oculus and show her what happened to her son. I’m ne'er going to do that again, I committedness you that.”

St. Louis County charismatic Wesley Bell, who had stopped by nan infirmary beforehand to meet pinch nan officer’s family, said others besides would beryllium charged.

“I ever talk astir you cognize nan toughest portion of this occupation is erstwhile we person a family that’s mislaid a loved 1 that we can’t bring justness to. And I’ve sewage to tweak that. The toughest point I’ve had to do is talk and console pinch a mother who doesn’t cognize if her kid is doing to make it. And for what?”

The Rev. Darryl Gray, a starring civilian authorities activist, urged nan constabulary main to move pinch be aware and “not to create an america versus them mentality.”

“Right now,” Gray added, “all of our efforts and power request to beryllium affirmative towards nan betterment of nan constabulary officer. And past 2nd to that, to do an investigation, a adjacent and unbiased investigation to find what nan grounds is.”

The arrests came arsenic nan St. Louis Fire Department placed a personnel of nan section connected time off aft he made a societal media station that nan section described arsenic insensitive.

“We return this matter earnestly and do not condone specified behavior,” nan department wrote.

The section didn’t disclose nan contents of nan post, but respective news outlets successful nan area reported that it read: “Happy ALIVE time to Darren Wilson!”

Michael Brown’s decease turned Ferguson into a focal constituent of nan nationalist reckoning with nan historically tense narration betwixt US rule enforcement and Black people.

In 2015, an investigation by nan US Department of Justice besides found no grounds to prosecute Wilson. But nan study gave a scathing indictment of nan constabulary section — raising significant concerns about really officers treated Black group and astir a tribunal strategy that created a rhythm of indebtedness for many.