Suspect Arrested, Charged in Shooting of Two Ferguson Police

Ferguson police have arrested a suspect they believe to be responsible for shooting of two police officers during a protest in the Missouri suburb last week.

Protesters had gathered in front of the Ferguson Police Department last Wednesday following months of racial tensions after Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson announced he would be stepping down from his post. Jackson's decision to step down was made after a scathing Justice Department report that noted racial bias in the Ferguson police department and local court system.

During the peaceful protest, a suspect shot two Ferguson police officers, who sustained injuries to their face and shoulder.

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch announced this week that after several days of searching, 20-year-old suspect Jeffrey L. Williams admitted to firing the shots that wounded the two officers.

Williams was found after a days-long manhunt during which investigators relied on surveillance video footage and other methods to identify the suspect. Williams has reportedly maintained that he was not trying to shoot police officers during the incident, but was rather aiming for someone else.

"It's possible at this point that he was firing shots at someone other than the police, but struck the police officers," Prosecutor McCulloch said at a press conference Sunday. "He has stated that he may have had a dispute with some other individuals. I'm not sure we completely buy that part of it. But in any event, it's possible he was firing at some other people," the prosecutor added.