Ferguson remains in a state of emergency as of today, while stories of the violence that occurred there over the weekend continue to unfold.
Tyrone Harris, an 18-year-old accused of shooting at four plainclothes officers who were in an unmarked SUV, is still in critical condition. Throughout the week, Harris' family and friends have attested that he was both unarmed and "running for his life" from the police. However, new evidence could disrupt those accounts: Security footage depicts a man that authorities claim is Harris pulling a gun from his waistband and pointing it into the street.
Until now, the events leading up to the shooting Sunday night have been opaque. Police asserted that Harris fired on the vehicle while its lights were flashing, and then took off on foot. A chase ensued: Ultimately, Harris was left wounded and lying on the pavement. He was later charged with 10 felony counts. The newly released video does not show the interaction between Harris and the police, and does little to quell doubts from the suspect's family and the community about what truly transpired during the shootout.
“What I saw on the video was someone with a gun,” Ferguson activist DeRay McKesson told The New York Times. “It’s an open-carry state. So I hope that the presence of a gun doesn’t mean people get shot.”
As of Tuesday night, protesters in the streets appeared to be outnumbered by police presence, suggesting that demonstrations are beginning to wane, according to local ABC news station KOLO8.
The state of emergency may be lifted today, said St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger. Nonetheless, untangling what really happened in Ferguson this week, back on August 9, 2014, and in all the days since isn't likely going to occur anytime soon.
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