New surveillance footage shows Ferguson protester shot by cops had pistol – police

St. Louis County police have released surveillance footage allegedly showing Tyrone Harris, a black teen, with a gun. Police said Harris fired the weapon at plainclothes officers before they shot back, leaving him critically wounded in Ferguson on Sunday.

The 13-second video comes from a surveillance camera owned by Solo Insurance Services. It opens with people casually walking past a row of shops and parked cars.

Then, some sort of disturbance off camera causes people to start running away, with some ducking behind vehicles, as a group of about 10 people comes into view, running and separating.

One person wearing a white t-shirt and darker trousers is seen separating from those fleeing. He then pulls what appears to be a pistol from his waistband with his left hand, holding it out in front of him before moving off camera.

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The St. Louis County police department said detectives have identified the person in the video as Tyrone Harris, who they said was responding to shots fired by another group at the scene. The incident took place during a commemoration protest marking the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown’s killing by police.

Police claim Harris allegedly opened fire on an unmarked police van before four police officers answered in kind. He was hit eight to twelve times, according to his father, Tyrone Sr., who disputed the police account on Monday, but declined to discuss his son’s shooting on Tuesday after the video was released, according to the Associated Press.

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Harris, 18, is still in critical condition in a St. Louis hospital. There were no updates on his condition on Tuesday.

He has been charged with 10 felonies – five counts of armed criminal action, four counts of first-degree assault on a law enforcement officer and a firearms charge. He is being held in lieu of a $250,000 cash-only bond.