Police Chief Believes Ferguson Police Shooter Associated to Protests

Yesterday, in the wake of a scathing report about by the Justice Department, the beleaguered chief of police in Ferguson, Missouri resigned. Early this morning, during a protest, two officers — from different departments — were shot. Jon Belmar, Chief of Police in St. Louis County expressed relief they were not killed. He said he supports the First Amendment rights of protesters, adding, "but when you look at the tenor of at least some of the people that are involved in the protest of civil unrest it at times can be very troubling...and it is difficult for the officers to discern within a crowd of folks who perhaps are there for the right reason exactly who is doing what… I would have to imagine that these protestors were among the shooters that shot at the police officers."

Attorney General Eric Holder called the shootings "a heinous assault on two brave law enforcement officers that was inexcusable and repugnant."

Ben Kesling is in Ferguson, reporting for the Wall Street Journal.