(Ferguson) A Ferguson, Missouri, police officer was seriously injured outside the city’s police station during protests on March 10.e anniversary of the shooting death of Michael Brown, a pivotal moment in the national Black Lives Matter movement, police said Saturday.
Ferguson Police Chief Troy Doyle said Officer Travis Brown suffered a serious brain injury Friday after being thrown to the ground.
“He is currently in a local hospital fighting for his life,” Doyle said.
Two other police officers were also injured, one suffering an ankle injury and the other a graze wound.
The team of officers went out Friday to make arrests for destruction of property at the police station, where protesters gathered to remember Michael Brown, the unarmed black 18-year-old who was killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, in 2014.
Mr. Doyle said Travis Brown, who is black, started working with the department in January and previously worked for the St. Louis County Police Department.
“He wanted to be a part of change,” Doyle said. “He wanted to make an impact on our community. That’s the type of police officer we want in our community. And what happens? He gets assaulted. I had to look his mother in the eye and tell her what happened to her son. I will never do that again, I promise you that.”
St. Louis County District Attorney Wesley Bell, who earlier visited the hospital to meet with the officer’s family, said he was preparing charges. But he declined to release the names of the suspects before they are filed.
“I always say the hardest part of this job is when we have a family that has lost a loved one and we can’t do justice. And I have to rectify that. The hardest thing I’ve had to do is talk to and comfort a mother who doesn’t know if her child is going to make it. And for what?”
It was unclear who organized Friday’s protests. An activist who attended a memorial for Michael Brown earlier in the day, and another who organized previous protests, did not immediately respond to calls and text messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.
The arrests came as the St. Louis Fire Department placed one of its members on leave after he posted a social media message that the department called insensitive.
“We take this matter seriously and do not condone such behavior,” the service wrote.
The service did not disclose the contents of the message, but several media outlets in the area reported that it read: “Have a great day ALIVE to Darren Wilson!”
Michael Brown’s death has made Ferguson the focal point of a national reckoning over the historically fraught relationship between American law enforcement and black people.
In 2015, a Justice Department investigation also found no grounds to prosecute Wilson. But the report painted a scathing picture of the police department, raising serious concerns about how officers treated black residents and a justice system that created a cycle of debt for many residents.