Members of an armed militia group patrolling the streets of Ferguson have drawn criticism from the county police chief overseeing security in the St. Louis suburb.

St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said Tuesday that the overnight presence of the Oath Keepers, wearing bulletproof vests and openly carrying rifles and pistols on West Florissant Avenue was "both unnecessary and inflammatory."

The street has been the focus of demonstrations marking the anniversary of the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

The far-right anti-government activist group largely comprises past and present military personnel, first responders and law enforcement personnel.

Oath Keepers appeared in Ferguson in November saying they were protecting businesses from rioting and looters.

The Associated Press left a message with John Karriman, a representative of the group in Missouri.

Belmar plans to ask county prosecutor Bob McCulloch about the legality of the group's armed patrols.

Members of an armed militia group patrolling the streets of Ferguson have drawn criticism from the county police chief overseeing security in the St. Louis suburb.

St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said Tuesday that the overnight presence of the Oath Keepers, wearing bulletproof vests and openly carrying rifles and pistols on West Florissant Avenue was "both unnecessary and inflammatory."

The street has been the focus of demonstrations marking the anniversary of the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

The far-right anti-government activist group largely comprises past and present military personnel, first responders and law enforcement personnel.

Oath Keepers appeared in Ferguson in November saying they were protecting businesses from rioting and looters.

The Associated Press left a message with John Karriman, a representative of the group in Missouri.

Belmar plans to ask county prosecutor Bob McCulloch about the legality of the group's armed patrols.

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri - August 11, 2015

++NOTE EXPLETIVES BLEEPED OUT++

1. Heavily armed and armored men carrying high velocity rifles walking through Florissant Avenue, attracting attention. They self id'd as "Oathkeepers" providing security for a reporter from the website "Infowars.com" Some protestors, mainly white, yell expletives at the men

2. Various man carrying high velocity rifle

3. SOUNDBITE (English) John, Last name not provided, Oathkeeper from Missouri:

John: "We're just Americans trying to keep our fellow men safe. that's all."

Reporter: "What kind of rifle are you carrying?"

John: "It's a carbine."

Reporter: "Are you licensed to carry in Missouri?

John: "Sure."

Reporter: "Are you from Missouri?"

John: "I am. right here in southwest Missouri."

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri - August 10, 2015

4. Earlier evening action of protest, St. Louis Co. officer unleashes pepper spray on crowd and hits AP cameraman and lens

5. Various of demonstrators being arrested and tackled

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri - August 11, 2015

6. Video of traffic rolling through Florissant Avenue

7. Various, People walking on street, by McDonald's

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Allen Liggins, Ferguson Resident

"it's gonna create a bigger problem if somebody doesn't neutralize this situation and just monitor stuff like that. people come up in groups with guns that's just a bad look—period. I mean if the protestors came here with guns somebody else probably would have got killed last night. You know what I am saying? Coming out here like that is just a bad look, I think it's going to lead to more negative results. Now people are going be like oh they're allowed to have their guns and they're gonna feel like their back up against the wall the might bring their guns and they might fire this time. you know what I'm saying?"

9. Street and graffiti art

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Tevin Jennings, Ferguson Resident

"That's unnecessary. We don't need all that. We're already trying to make Ferguson back to peaceful, so we don't really need all that. We just need peace and violence."

11. Two interviewees walking down Florissant Ave.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus036264

Members of an armed militia group patrolling the streets of Ferguson have drawn criticism from the county police chief overseeing security in the St. Louis suburb.

St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said Tuesday that the overnight presence of the Oath Keepers, wearing bulletproof vests and openly carrying rifles and pistols on West Florissant Avenue was "both unnecessary and inflammatory."

The street has been the focus of demonstrations marking the anniversary of the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

The far-right anti-government activist group largely comprises past and present military personnel, first responders and law enforcement personnel.

Oath Keepers appeared in Ferguson in November saying they were protecting businesses from rioting and looters.

The Associated Press left a message with John Karriman, a representative of the group in Missouri.

Belmar plans to ask county prosecutor Bob McCulloch about the legality of the group's armed patrols.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus036264

Members of an armed militia group patrolling the streets of Ferguson have drawn criticism from the county police chief overseeing security in the St. Louis suburb.

St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said Tuesday that the overnight presence of the Oath Keepers, wearing bulletproof vests and openly carrying rifles and pistols on West Florissant Avenue was "both unnecessary and inflammatory."

The street has been the focus of demonstrations marking the anniversary of the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

The far-right anti-government activist group largely comprises past and present military personnel, first responders and law enforcement personnel.

Oath Keepers appeared in Ferguson in November saying they were protecting businesses from rioting and looters.

The Associated Press left a message with John Karriman, a representative of the group in Missouri.

Belmar plans to ask county prosecutor Bob McCulloch about the legality of the group's armed patrols.

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri - August 11, 2015

++NOTE EXPLETIVES BLEEPED OUT++

1. Heavily armed and armored men carrying high velocity rifles walking through Florissant Avenue, attracting attention. They self id'd as "Oathkeepers" providing security for a reporter from the website "Infowars.com" Some protestors, mainly white, yell expletives at the men.

2. Various man carrying high velocity rifle

3. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) SUPER: John, Last name not provided, Oathkeeper from Missouri

John: "We're just Americans trying to keep our fellow men safe. that's all."

Reporter: "What kind of rifle are you carrying?"

John: "It's a carbine."

Reporter: "Are you licensed to carry in Missouri?

John: "Sure."

Reporter: "Are you from Missouri?"

John: "I am. Right here in southwest Missouri."

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri - August 11, 2015

4. Video of traffic rolling through Florissant Avenue

5. Various, People walking on street, by McDonald's

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Allen Liggins, Ferguson Resident:

"It's gonna create a bigger problem if somebody doesn't neutralize this situation and just monitor stuff like that. I mean, people come up in groups with guns that's just a bad look—period. I mean if the protestors came here with guns somebody else probably would have got killed last night, you know what I am saying? Coming out here like that is just a bad look, I think it's going to lead to more negative results happening."

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Tevin Jennings, Ferguson Resident

"That's unnecessary. We don't need all that. We're already trying to make Ferguson back to peaceful, so we don't really need all that. We just need peace and no violence."

The police chief in the St. Louis suburb where an officer fatally shot an unarmed teenager identified the officer on Friday as Darren Wilson.

Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson made the announcement after initially declining to the release the name, saying the officer had received numerous death threats.

"He's been a police officer for six years, has had no disciplinary action taken against him," said Jackson.

The officer has been on administrative leave since the shooting Saturday of 18-year-old Michael Brown, whose death has sparked several days of clashes with furious protesters.

Jackson said Wilson, along with other officers, were called to the area after an emergency call reporting a "strong-arm robbery" at a nearby convenience store.

He didn't immediately release details about the alleged robbery, saying more information would be released later.

Tensions in Ferguson boiled over after a candlelight vigil on Sunday night, as looters smashed and burned businesses in the neighbourhood, where police have repeatedly fired tear gas and smoke bombs.

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri - 14 August 2014

1.f two protesters kneeling in middle of road with hands in air, shouting (English) "Don't shoot! Hands up!!

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri - 15 August 2014

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Thomas Jackson, Ferguson Police Chief:

"From 11:48 to noon, the officer involved in the shooting was on a 'sick call' on Glenn Arc. There was an ambulance present. At 11:51 there was a 911 call from a convenience store nearby, not this one. At 11:52 dispatch gave a description of a robbery suspect over the radio. A different officer arrived at the store where the strong-arm robbery occurred. A further description, more detail, was given over the radio and stated the suspect was walking toward the QuikTrip (grocery store)."

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri - 14 August 2014

3. Pan of protesters standing by side of road as cars pass

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri - 15 August 2014

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Thomas Jackson, Ferguson Police Chief:

"At 12:01pm our officer encountered Michael Brown on Canfield Drive. At 12:04 a second officer arrived on the scene immediately following the shooting, and at 12:05 a supervisor was dispatched to the scene, and subsequent officers arrived."

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri - 14 August 2014

5. Close of protester holding sign reading (English) "Stop police brutality, Justice for michael"

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri - 15 August 2014

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Thomas Jackson, Ferguson Police Chief:

"The officer that was involved in the shooting of Michael Brown was Darren Wilson. He's been a police officer for six years, has had no disciplinary action taken against him. He was treated for injuries which occurred on Saturday."

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri - 14 August 2014

7. Close of two protesters holding signs on side of road

A man who opened fire on officers in Ferguson, Missouri, on the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown's death was critically wounded when the officers shot back, St. Louis County's police chief said early Monday.

Chief Jon Belmar said at a news conference that officers had been tracking the man, who they believed was armed, during a protest marking the death of Brown, the black, unarmed 18-year-old whose killing by a white Ferguson police officer touched off a national "Black Lives Matter" movement.

The man approached the officers, who were in an unmarked police van, and opened fire, Belmar said. The officers returned fire from inside the vehicle and then pursued the man on foot when he ran.

The man again fired on the officers, the chief said, and all four officers fired back. He was struck and fell.

The man was taken to a hospital, where Belmar said he was in "critical, unstable" condition in surgery. He was not immediately identified.

None of the officers was seriously injured. All four have been put on standard administrative leave.

The shooting happened shortly after what the chief called "an exchange of gunfire between two groups" rang out around 11:15 p.m. Sunday while protesters were gathered on West Florissant Avenue, a business zone that saw rioting and looting last year after Brown's killing. The shots sent protesters and reporters running for cover.

The anniversary of the killing, which cast greater scrutiny on how police interact with black communities, has sparked days of renewed protests, though until Sunday they had been peaceful and without any arrests.

A man who opened fire on officers in Ferguson, Missouri, on the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown's death was critically wounded when the officers shot back, St. Louis County's police chief said early Monday.

Chief Jon Belmar said at a news conference that officers had been tracking the man, who they believed was armed, during a protest marking the death of Brown, the black, unarmed 18-year-old whose killing by a white Ferguson police officer touched off a national "Black Lives Matter" movement.

The man approached the officers, who were in an unmarked police van, and opened fire, Belmar said. The officers returned fire from inside the vehicle and then pursued the man on foot when he ran.

The man again fired on the officers, the chief said, and all four officers fired back. He was struck and fell.

The man was taken to a hospital, where Belmar said he was in "critical, unstable" condition in surgery. He was not immediately identified.

None of the officers was seriously injured. All four have been put on standard administrative leave.

The shooting happened shortly after what the chief called "an exchange of gunfire between two groups" rang out around 11:15 p.m. Sunday while protesters were gathered on West Florissant Avenue, a business zone that saw rioting and looting last year after Brown's killing. The shots sent protesters and reporters running for cover.

The anniversary of the killing, which cast greater scrutiny on how police interact with black communities, has sparked days of renewed protests, though until Sunday they had been peaceful and without any arrests.

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri – 10 August 2015

1. Crime scene

2. Police crime scene tape and police vehicles

3. Police investigators arriving

4. Various police searching area

6. Pan storefronts and crime scene

7. Various investigators looking in smashed storefront

8. Close sign reading (English) "We must stop killing each other"

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus036162

A man who opened fire on officers in Ferguson, Missouri, on the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown's death was critically wounded when the officers shot back, St. Louis County's police chief said early Monday.

Chief Jon Belmar said at a news conference that officers had been tracking the man, who they believed was armed, during a protest marking the death of Brown, the black, unarmed 18-year-old whose killing by a white Ferguson police officer touched off a national "Black Lives Matter" movement.

The man approached the officers, who were in an unmarked police van, and opened fire, Belmar said. The officers returned fire from inside the vehicle and then pursued the man on foot when he ran.

The man again fired on the officers, the chief said, and all four officers fired back. He was struck and fell.

The man was taken to a hospital, where Belmar said he was in "critical, unstable" condition in surgery. He was not immediately identified.

None of the officers was seriously injured. All four have been put on standard administrative leave.

The shooting happened shortly after what the chief called "an exchange of gunfire between two groups" rang out around 11:15 p.m. Sunday while protesters were gathered on West Florissant Avenue, a business zone that saw rioting and looting last year after Brown's killing. The shots sent protesters and reporters running for cover.

The anniversary of the killing, which cast greater scrutiny on how police interact with black communities, has sparked days of renewed protests, though until Sunday they had been peaceful and without any arrests.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus036162

A man who opened fire on officers in Ferguson, Missouri, on the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown's death was critically wounded when the officers shot back, St. Louis County's police chief said early Monday.

Chief Jon Belmar said at a news conference that officers had been tracking the man, who they believed was armed, during a protest marking the death of Brown, the black, unarmed 18-year-old whose killing by a white Ferguson police officer touched off a national "Black Lives Matter" movement.

The man approached the officers, who were in an unmarked police van, and opened fire, Belmar said. The officers returned fire from inside the vehicle and then pursued the man on foot when he ran.

The man again fired on the officers, the chief said, and all four officers fired back. He was struck and fell.

The man was taken to a hospital, where Belmar said he was in "critical, unstable" condition in surgery. He was not immediately identified.

None of the officers was seriously injured. All four have been put on standard administrative leave.

The shooting happened shortly after what the chief called "an exchange of gunfire between two groups" rang out around 11:15 p.m. Sunday while protesters were gathered on West Florissant Avenue, a business zone that saw rioting and looting last year after Brown's killing. The shots sent protesters and reporters running for cover.

The anniversary of the killing, which cast greater scrutiny on how police interact with black communities, has sparked days of renewed protests, though until Sunday they had been peaceful and without any arrests.

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri – 10 August 2015

1. Crime scene

2. Police crime scene tape and police vehicles

3. Police investigators arriving

4. Various police searching area

6. Pan storefronts and crime scene

7. Various investigators looking in smashed storefront

8. Close sign reading (English) "We must stop killing each other"

Police arrested more than a dozen people in Ferguson after protesters blocked traffic during a fourth consecutive night of demonstrations marking the anniversary of the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

The gathering came after a Monday morning demonstration along West Florissant Avenue that was interrupted by gunfire and a police shooting that left an 18-year-old critically injured, setting the St. Louis suburb on edge.

St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger declared a state of emergency, which authorized county Police Chief Jon Belmar to take control of police emergency management in and around Ferguson.

Police arrested more than a dozen people in Ferguson after protesters blocked traffic during a fourth consecutive night of demonstrations marking the anniversary of the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

The gathering came after a Monday morning demonstration along West Florissant Avenue that was interrupted by gunfire and a police shooting that left an 18-year-old critically injured, setting the St. Louis suburb on edge.

St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger declared a state of emergency, which authorized county Police Chief Jon Belmar to take control of police emergency management in and around Ferguson.

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri - 10 August, 2015

1. Nighttime, Protesters, police around McDonald's sign. Officer sprays pepper spray, hitting camera lens

2. Demonstrators walking

3. Demonstrators, officers arguing

4. Handcuffed person placed in police vehicle

5. Demonstrators walking, driving, chanting

6. Prayer circle

7. Police watching demonstrators

8. Daytime. Demonstrators on roof of building

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus036219

Police arrested more than a dozen people in Ferguson after protesters blocked traffic during a fourth consecutive night of demonstrations marking the anniversary of the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

The gathering came after a Monday morning demonstration along West Florissant Avenue that was interrupted by gunfire and a police shooting that left an 18-year-old critically injured, setting the St. Louis suburb on edge.

St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger declared a state of emergency, which authorized county Police Chief Jon Belmar to take control of police emergency management in and around Ferguson.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus036219

Police arrested more than a dozen people in Ferguson after protesters blocked traffic during a fourth consecutive night of demonstrations marking the anniversary of the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

The gathering came after a Monday morning demonstration along West Florissant Avenue that was interrupted by gunfire and a police shooting that left an 18-year-old critically injured, setting the St. Louis suburb on edge.

St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger declared a state of emergency, which authorized county Police Chief Jon Belmar to take control of police emergency management in and around Ferguson.

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri - 10 August, 2015

1. Nighttime, Protesters, police around McDonald's sign. Officer sprays pepper spray, hitting camera lens

2. Demonstrators walking

3. Demonstrators, officers arguing

4. Handcuffed person placed in police vehicle

5. Demonstrators walking, driving, chanting

6. Prayer circle

7. Police watching demonstrators

8. Daytime. Demonstrators on roof of building

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus036146

A march to mark the anniversary of the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown has ended in Ferguson, Missouri.

The march Sunday afternoon started at the site where Brown, who was black and unarmed, was fatally shot by Ferguson officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9, 2014. Brown's father, Michael Brown Sr., was leading the march, holding hands with others.

Pausing along the route at a permanent memorial for his son, Michael Brown Sr. said, "Miss you."

After the march was a service at a Ferguson church.

A grand jury and the U.S. Department of Justice declined to prosecute Wilson, who resigned in November, but the shooting touched off a national "Black Lives Matter" movement.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus036146

A march to mark the anniversary of the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown has ended in Ferguson, Missouri.

The march Sunday afternoon started at the site where Brown, who was black and unarmed, was fatally shot by Ferguson officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9, 2014. Brown's father, Michael Brown Sr., was leading the march, holding hands with others.

Pausing along the route at a permanent memorial for his son, Michael Brown Sr. said, "Miss you."

After the march was a service at a Ferguson church.

A grand jury and the U.S. Department of Justice declined to prosecute Wilson, who resigned in November, but the shooting touched off a national "Black Lives Matter" movement.

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri - 9 August 2015

1. Various of demonstrators at march

2. Demonstrators at start of march at scene of shooting

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Anthony Shahid, Activist:

We're not anti-police, so don't try to get that out. I got blood relatives in my family that are police. We're not talking about that. We're talking about like minded people like Darren Wilson, that's shooting us down in the streets. Our human rights have been violated."

4. Activists start moment of silence UPSOUND (English) Anthony Shahid, Activist:

"We're using 4 minutes and a half. It's symbolic. Starting now, I don't want no sound, quiet."

5. Michael Brown Sr. bowing head at moment of silence

6. Sign at march reads (English) "Stop Killing Black Children"

7. Group releases doves ahead of march

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Brown, Sr., Father of Michael Brown

"Give all my love to my family, my friends, my people, my new friends, my world. You all are my world. Ya'll made this happen for us. If it wasn't for ya'll this would be swept up under the carpet too. So, I just want to give my love out to ya'll and than you."

9. Group forming ahead of march

10. Various of memorial at scene of shooting

11. Various of demonstrators ahead of march

12. Family of Michael Brown, activists leading march

13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Tabitha Chester, Demonstrator from Columbus, Ohio

"Especially white Americans could think it was an isolated incident. I think since then we have really come to understand how systematic violence against black and brown bodies are by the police forces."

14. Demonstrators walking march

15. Plaque at memorial for Michael Brown

16. . SOUNDBITE: (English) Ronald Herd, Activist from Memphis, Tennessee

"I would hope that black lives really do matter, today and every day. Without black folks, there would be no America, because America -- its history, its story – has the black story in it."

17. Memorial for Michael Brown

A march to mark the anniversary of the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown has ended in Ferguson, Missouri.

The march Sunday afternoon started at the site where Brown, who was black and unarmed, was fatally shot by Ferguson officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9, 2014. Brown's father, Michael Brown Sr., was leading the march, holding hands with others.

Pausing along the route at a permanent memorial for his son, Michael Brown Sr. said, "Miss you."

After the march was a service at a Ferguson church.

A grand jury and the U.S. Department of Justice declined to prosecute Wilson, who resigned in November, but the shooting touched off a national "Black Lives Matter" movement.

A march to mark the anniversary of the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown has ended in Ferguson, Missouri.

The march Sunday afternoon started at the site where Brown, who was black and unarmed, was fatally shot by Ferguson officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9, 2014. Brown's father, Michael Brown Sr., was leading the march, holding hands with others.

Pausing along the route at a permanent memorial for his son, Michael Brown Sr. said, "Miss you."

After the march was a service at a Ferguson church.

A grand jury and the U.S. Department of Justice declined to prosecute Wilson, who resigned in November, but the shooting touched off a national "Black Lives Matter" movement.

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri – 9 August 2015

1. Sign reading (English) "Racism is destroying Amerikkka" held by demonstrators

2. Wide of demonstrators and Brown family supporters at event

3. Close African-American Scholar Cornel West

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Anthony Shahid, Activist

"We're not anti-police, so don't try to get that out. I got blood relatives in my family that are police. We're not talking about that. We're talking about like minded people like Darren Wilson, that's shooting us down in the streets. Our human rights have been violated."

5. Wide demonstrators chanting (English) "If we can't get it. Shut it down."

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Anthony Shahid, Activist (Michael Brown, Sr. is in cap to the right of Shahid)

"We're using 4 minutes and a half. It's symbolic. Starting now, I don't want no sound, quiet." (begins the moment of silence)

7. Close Michael Brown, Sr. during moment of silence

8. Close sign reading (English) "Stop killing black children"

9. Demonstrators countdown end of 4:30 of silence to symbolize time Michael Brown's body was left in street, doves released

10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Michael Brown, Sr., Father of Michael Brown

"Give all my love to my family, my friends, my people, my new friends, my world. You all are my world. Ya'll made this happen for us. If it wasn't for ya'll this would be swept up under the carpet too. So, I just want to give my love out to ya'll and than you."

11. Wide and mid of people carrying banners through crowd

12. UPSOUND: (English) Anthony Shahid, Activist as Brown embraces loved one

"You can see the pain on his wife and his children's face."

13. Mid stuffed animals with shirts bearing names of African-Americans who died at hands of police

14. Burned American flag

15. Close demonstrator holding signs

16. Beginning of silent march to church

17. Various of march

18. SOUNDBITE: (English) Tabitha Chester, Demonstrator from Columbus, Ohio

"Especially white Americans could think it was an isolated incident. I think since then we have really come to understand how systematic violence against black and brown bodies are by the police forces."

19. Mid marchers

20. Various Michael Brown memorial

21. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ronald Herd, Activist from Memphis, Tennessee

"I would hope that black lives really do matter, today and every day. Without black folks, there would be no America, because America -- its history, its story – has the black story in it."

22. Close Michael Brown memorial

American minister and civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton on Sunday called the shooting death of unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, a "defining moment" for the United States.

Speaking at a rally in the town of Ferguson, Sharpton said he wants Congress to stop programmes that provide military-style weaponry to police departments.

He also condemned the recent spate of violence and looting in Ferguson.

Protests have been ongoing since Brown's death heightened racial tensions between the predominantly black community and mostly white Ferguson Police Department, leading to several run-ins between police and protesters and prompting Missouri's governor to put the state highway patrol in charge of security.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Eric Holder has ordered a federal medical examiner to perform another autopsy on Brown.

The "extraordinary circumstances" surrounding the death of the 18-year-old, and a request by Brown's family members prompted the order, Department of Justice spokesman Brian Fallon said in a statement.

The Justice Department had already deepened its civil rights investigation into the shooting.

Officials said 40 FBI agents were going door-to-door gathering information in the Ferguson, Missouri, neighbourhood where Brown, who was unarmed, was shot dead on August 9 in the street.

++AUDIO AS INCOMING++

AP TELEVISION

1. Wide of audience at rally in Ferguson

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Ty Pruitt, Michael Brown's Cousin:

"This (holds up hands), was the last actions that our family member made before he went to rest. This (holds up hands), will be stuck in my family's memories for the rest of our lives. So when you protest, (holds up hands)."

3. Brown's parents on stage

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Benjamin Crump, Family lawyer:

"So when we say what we're here for today, united for justice, for Michael Brown junior. What we're really asking for is simple justice. We're not asking for anything extraordinary, they just want what anybody else will want if their children was shot down in broad daylight. A fair and impartial investigation. They want to know that they will have their day in court, that the killer of their child will be held accountable to the full extent of the law."

5. Reverend Al Sharpton shaking hands with parents on stage

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Reverend Al Sharpton, National Action Network:

"The debate is how the rights of people are dealt with by the state. Ferguson and Michael Brown Junior will be a defining moment on how this country deals with policing and the rights of its citizens to redress how police behave in this country."

7. Cutaway of Michael Brown's family

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Reverend Al Sharpton, National Action Network:

"While this mother and this father and their families haven't even had the time to bury their son, the police chief would release a tape trying to disparage his name while his mama's still weeping, while the family hasn't even laid him to rest. How can the young folk of the city believe in a system that would try to spit on the name and character of a young man who hasn't even been buried."

9. Cutaway of audience

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Reverend Al Sharpton, National Action Network: ++END OF SOUNDBITE OVERLAID WITH SHOT 11++

"We need to go to Congress after they come back from break, we going to call the day, we'll announce it (inaudible), we're going to have a arms up rally and march in DC (Washington DC) to demand federal legislation around policing how we get police and community to work together."

11. Audience giving standing ovation holding hands in air, cheering

12. Cutaway of Reverend Jesse Jackson in audience at rally

About 50 protesters have been arrested after blocking the entrance to a St. Louis federal courthouse while calling for more aggressive U.S. government response to what they call racist law enforcement practices.

The arrests of scholar and civil rights activist Cornel West and the few dozen others were part of what's been billed as a national day of civil disobedience.

They come a day after the one-year observance of the Ferguson police shooting death of Michael Brown, and police shooting there Sunday night that wounded another black 18-year-old, who police say fired on officers during nighttime protests.

Monday's arrests came after a roughly mile-long march from a St. Louis church to the Eagleton courthouse. That's where marchers demanded federal action to stop what policing they say targets minorities. The protesters then scaled a waist-high barricade, staging a sit-in before advancing past police to the entrances.

About 50 protesters have been arrested after blocking the entrance to a St. Louis federal courthouse while calling for more aggressive U.S. government response to what they call racist law enforcement practices.

The arrests of scholar and civil rights activist Cornel West and the few dozen others were part of what's been billed as a national day of civil disobedience.

They come a day after the one-year observance of the Ferguson police shooting death of Michael Brown, and police shooting there Sunday night that wounded another black 18-year-old, who police say fired on officers during nighttime protests.

Monday's arrests came after a roughly mile-long march from a St. Louis church to the Eagleton courthouse. That's where marchers demanded federal action to stop what policing they say targets minorities. The protesters then scaled a waist-high barricade, staging a sit-in before advancing past police to the entrances.

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri - 10 August 2015

1. Various Christ Church Cathedral, where protesters gathered

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Reverend Starsky Wilson, co-chair of the Ferguson Commission and an organizer of march

"We are seeking to raise the issues of accountability, in the negotiations with the Ferguson police department, from the things that have already been identified in the Department of Justice report and call into question quite frankly, what should still be in place there in the Ferguson police department. We have well documented discrimination, we have well documented challenges there, we have only seen a surface change, we have not seen structural change. So this morning's action at the Department of Justice is calling attention to those things and calling for that office to bring more of its weight to bear particularly in the Ferguson Police Department, but also in the various police departments in our region and criminal justice across the country."

3. Various of demonstrators preparing to march, including activist and scholar Cornel West

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Reverend Starsky Wilson, co-chair of the Ferguson Commission and an organizer of march

"We have seen the move towards change, we recognize these are deeply ingrained systems in our community, in our nation, in our history, they are going to take years to shift, but we are going to continue to be impatient, we will continue to push, we will continue to resist, we will continue to be urgent about those things and call for those who sit in seats of power to take the same kind of urgency as well."

5. Beginning and various of march to federal courthouse

6. UPSOUND: (English) Reverend Starsky Wilson

"The time for talking is done. Now is the time for action."

7. Various of demonstrators climbing over police barricade

8. Various of police and demonstrators advancing on courthouse

9. Police reinforcements arrive

10. Various of police arresting demonstrators

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus036205

About 50 protesters have been arrested after blocking the entrance to a St. Louis federal courthouse while calling for more aggressive U.S. government response to what they call racist law enforcement practices.

The arrests of scholar and civil rights activist Cornel West and the few dozen others were part of what's been billed as a national day of civil disobedience.

They come a day after the one-year observance of the Ferguson police shooting death of Michael Brown, and police shooting there Sunday night that wounded another black 18-year-old, who police say fired on officers during nighttime protests.

Monday's arrests came after a roughly mile-long march from a St. Louis church to the Eagleton courthouse. That's where marchers demanded federal action to stop what policing they say targets minorities. The protesters then scaled a waist-high barricade, staging a sit-in before advancing past police to the entrances.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus036205

About 50 protesters have been arrested after blocking the entrance to a St. Louis federal courthouse while calling for more aggressive U.S. government response to what they call racist law enforcement practices.

The arrests of scholar and civil rights activist Cornel West and the few dozen others were part of what's been billed as a national day of civil disobedience.

They come a day after the one-year observance of the Ferguson police shooting death of Michael Brown, and police shooting there Sunday night that wounded another black 18-year-old, who police say fired on officers during nighttime protests.

Monday's arrests came after a roughly mile-long march from a St. Louis church to the Eagleton courthouse. That's where marchers demanded federal action to stop what policing they say targets minorities. The protesters then scaled a waist-high barricade, staging a sit-in before advancing past police to the entrances.

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri - 10 August 2015

1. Beginning and various of march to federal courthouse, including activist and scholar Cornel West

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Reverend Starsky Wilson, co-chair of the Ferguson Commission and an organizer of march

"We are seeking to raise the issues of accountability, in the negotiations with the Ferguson police department, from the things that have already been identified in the Department of Justice report and call into question quite frankly, what should still be in place there in the Ferguson police department. We have well documented discrimination, we have well documented challenges there, we have only seen a surface change, we have not seen structural change. So this morning's action at the Department of Justice is calling attention to those things and calling for that office to bring more of its weight to bear particularly in the Ferguson Police Department, but also in the various police departments in our region and criminal justice across the country. We have seen the move towards change, we recognize these are deeply ingrained systems in our community, in our nation, in our history, they are going to take years to shift, but we are going to continue to be impatient, we will continue to push, we will continue to resist, we will continue to be urgent about those things and call for those who sit in seats of power to take the same kind of urgency as well."

3. Various of police and demonstrators advancing on courthouse

4. Various of police arresting demonstrators

A man who opened fire on officers in Ferguson, Missouri, on the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown's death was critically wounded when the officers shot back, St. Louis County's police chief said early on Monday.

Chief Jon Belmar said at a news conference that officers had been tracking the man, who they believed was armed, during a protest marking the death of Brown, the black, unarmed 18-year-old whose killing by a white Ferguson police officer touched off a national "Black Lives Matter" movement.

The man approached the officers, who were in an unmarked police van, and opened fire, Belmar said. The officers returned fire from inside the vehicle and then pursued the man on foot when he ran.

The man again fired on the officers, the chief said, and all four officers fired back. He was struck and fell.

The man was taken to a hospital, where Belmar said he was in "critical, unstable" condition in surgery. He was not immediately identified.

None of the officers was seriously injured. All four have been put on standard administrative leave.

The shooting happened shortly after what the chief called "an exchange of gunfire between two groups" rang out around 11:15 p.m. on Sunday while protesters were gathered on West Florissant Avenue, a business zone that saw rioting and looting last year after Brown's killing.

The shots sent protesters and reporters running for cover.

The anniversary of the killing, which cast greater scrutiny on how police interact with black communities, has sparked days of renewed protests, though until Sunday they had been peaceful and without any arrests.

AP TELEVISION �

Ferguson, Missouri � 10 August 2015

1. Crime scene

2. Police crime scene tape and police vehicles

3. Police investigators arriving

4. Various police searching area

6. Pan storefronts and crime scene

7. Various investigators looking in smashed storefront

8. Close sign reading (English) "We must stop killing each other"

One year after the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown Missouri, hundreds gathered to march in his memory after observing four and half minutes of silence.

Those who gathered in Ferguson on Sunday to commemorate Brown began their silence at 12:02 p.m., the time he was killed, for a length of time that symbolised the four and a half hours that his body lay in the street after he was killed.

Brown's father, Michael Brown Sr, led the march, which started at the site where Brown, who was un-armed, was fatally shot by Ferguson officer Darren Wilson on August 9 2014.

Some who marched wore T-shirts with likenesses of Brown or messages such as "Please stop killing us" or "Hands up! Don't shoot!" which became a rallying cry during the sometimes-violent protests that followed the shooting.

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri � 9 August 2015

1. Sign reading (English) "Racism is destroying Amerikkka"

2. Demonstrators and Brown family supporters at event

3. African-American Scholar Dr Cornel West

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Anthony Shahid, activist:

"We're not anti-police, so don't try to get that out. I got blood relatives in my family that are police. We're not talking about that. We're talking about like minded people like Darren Wilson, that's shooting us down in the streets. Our human rights have been violated."

5. Demonstrators chanting (English) "If we can't get it. Shut it down."

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Anthony Shahid, activist:

"We're using 4 minutes and a half. It's symbolic. Starting now, I don't want no sound, quiet."

7. Michael Brown, Sr. during four and a half minute silence

8. Sign reading (English): "Stop killing black children"

9. Demonstrators countdown to the end of the four minutes' silence, doves released

10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Michael Brown, Sr., Father of Michael Brown

"Give all my love to my family, my friends, my people, my new friends, my world. You all are my world. Ya'll made this happen for us. If it wasn't for ya'll this would be swept up under the carpet too. So, I just want to give my love out to ya'll and than you."

11. Various of people carrying banners through crowd

12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Anthony Shahid, activist as Brown embraces loved one:

"You can see the pain on his wife and his children's face."

13. Stuffed animals with shirts bearing names of African-Americans who died at hands of police

14. Burned American flag

15. Demonstrator holding signs

16. Beginning of silent march to church

17. Child holding sign reading (English): "Thank you Michael Brown"

17. Various of march

18. SOUNDBITE: (English) Tabitha Chester, Demonstrator from Columbus, Ohio:

"Especially white Americans could think it was an isolated incident. I think since then we have really come to understand how systematic violence against black and brown bodies are by the police forces."

19. Marchers

20. Various Michael Brown memorial

21. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ronald Herd, Activist from Memphis, Tennessee

"I would hope that black lives really do matter, today and every day. Without black folks, there would be no America, because America, its history, its story, has the black story in it."

22. Close Michael Brown memorial

Clashes took place on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, on Sunday night.

Missouri's governor on Monday ordered the National Guard to the city after a night in which police used tear gas to clear protesters off the streets well ahead of a midnight curfew.

Police said they acted in response to gunfire, looting, vandalism and protesters who hurled Molotov cocktails.

Governor Jay Nixon said the National Guard would help "in restoring peace and order" to Ferguson, where protests over the killing of black teenager Michael Brown by a white police officer entered their second week.

Sunday's clashes in Ferguson erupted three hours before the curfew imposed by Nixon.

Officers in riot gear ordered all the protesters to disperse, and many did, but about 100 stood about two blocks away until getting hit by another volley of tear gas.

Within two hours, most people had been cleared off West Florissant Avenue, one of the community's main thoroughfares.

AP TELEVISION

1. Pan of scene as police fire tear gas as protesters flee

2. Protesters marching and chanting

3. Zoom in to protesters

4. Protesters, some with arms raised, standing near police

5. Various of protesters approaching police blockade, police using bullhorn

6. Police standing near vehicles

7. Protesters reacting to tear gas being fired

8. Police standing near vehicles

9. Concrete and cinder blocks on the ground, laid by protesters

10. Police standing as tear gas smoke rises on protesters' side

11. People standing, some wearing gas masks, some filming

12. Pan from street sign to police vehicle

13. Search light from helicopter

14. Various of police

15. Various of police with gas masks

16. Police officer with gun stands in heavily armoured vehicle

17. Police in riot gear walking

18. Wide of street, police and crowd

Police arrested more than a dozen people in Ferguson on Monday, in the US state of Missouri, after protesters blocked traffic during a fourth consecutive night of demonstrations marking the one-year anniversary of the fatal shooting of Michael Brown.

It came after a morning demonstration along West Florissant Avenue that was interrupted by gunfire and a police shooting that left an 18-year-old critically injured, setting the St. Louis suburb on edge.

A state of emergency is in force in Ferguson.

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri - 10 August 2015

++NIGHT SHOTS++

1. Protesters and police facing off, officer uses pepper spray, hitting camera lens

2. Demonstrators on the street

3. Various of demonstrators confronting police officers

4. Police placing a handcuffed person into a vehicle

5. Demonstrators, some on a moving car, chanting UPSOUND: (English) "Hands up, don't shoot."

6. Tilt up of men holding hands, praying

7. Policeman with a video camera watching demonstrators

++DAY SHOTS++

8. Demonstrators standing on the roof of a building

More than a dozen people protesting at a grand jury's decision not to indict the police officer who fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown have been arrested outside of the Ferguson police department.

Tensions escalated late Friday during an initially calm demonstration after police said protesters were illegally blocking West Florissant Avenue.

A Missouri Department of Public Safety spokesman said 15 people were arrested.

The demonstration in Ferguson came after protesters earlier in the day temporarily shut down three large shopping malls in the suburban St. Louis area.

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri - 28 November 2014

1. Wide of Ferguson Police department

2. Officers standing next to police cars

3. Protesters standing on the side of the road

4. Medium of protesters wearing white masks

5. Police moving in to make arrests

6. Medium of protester on ground, under arrest, police officer says UPSOUND (English) "Get out of here. Go. Go." Various people: "Contact information... What's your name?"

7. Medium of police officer with a man, UPSOUND (English) "Get off him, he's a journalist, you are arresting a journalist." Man walks away from officer.

8. Zoom out of troops

NELLY VISITS FERGUSON

Rapper Nelly visited Ferguson, Missouri, Monday afternoon (18 AUG 2014) to show his support for those protesting the shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown, by a white police officer.

A native of St. Louis, Nelly, whose real name is Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., wore a t-shirt that said "#mikebrown" and said to a reporter that there are a lot of "personal agendas" that are making it hard for the situation to diffuse.

18-year-old Michael Brown was shot at least six times on 9 August, including twice in the head, according to pathologists and the family's attorneys.

Protesters have gathered daily in the St. Louis suburb since Brown was fatally shot.

There have been several run-ins between police and protesters. The National Guard has been deployed in Ferguson, but kept its distance from the streets.

AP Television

Ferguson, Missouri, 18 August 2014

1. Various of Nelly walking and talking to reporters

2. Various of Nelly walking and talking to reporters

3. Various wide of Nelly in scrum talking to reporters

Small, scattered protests continued in Ferguson on Wednesday night, with no reports of major confrontations or damage to property.

Hours after nightfall, a crowd of protesters lingered outside the Ferguson Police Department, shouting at National Guard troops as light snow fell.

About 100 people marched through a major intersection and blocked traffic for several minutes.

Troops with rifles were posted at intersections and car parks in a nearby area where stores were looted and burned on Monday night.

There were two nights of unrest in Ferguson over a grand jury decision's not to indict a police officer in the shooting death of unarmed black 18-year-old Michael Brown.

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri - 26 November 2014

++NIGHT SHOTS++

1. Armoured police vehicles with blue flashing lights

2. Armoured police vehicle drives away, snow covered cars in background

3. Line of vehicles in front of supermarket

4. Various of police officers and vehicles in street

5. Crowd on side of road

6. Various of demonstrators walking in street, and police vehicles

Throngs of people who packed streets in a suburb of Saint Louis, Missouri, to protest the fatal shooting of a black teen were largely dispersing on Saturday night in advance of a curfew imposed to try to keep the peace after nights of violent clashes between police and protesters.

The midnight to 5 a.m. curfew was ordered on Saturday by Governor Jay Nixon as he declared a state of emergency in Ferguson, where 18-year-old Michael Brown was killed by a white police officer a week ago.

Officer Darren Wilson opened fire on 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, on August 9.

Despite heavy rainfall and lightning, hundreds of protesters gathered on Saturday night at a busy thoroughfare that has been the site of previous clashes with police.

Dozens of officers, a much more visible presence than the night before, stood watch - including some with shields.

Members of various black community groups were urging people to abide by the curfew.

Black Lawyers For Justice National President Malik Shabazz, said that the protest would go on "all night",

"We are going to make sure that the message that officer Darren Wilson must be indicted and brought to justice right away," Shabazz said.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson, in charge of security in Ferguson, was peppered with questions as he walked among the protesters on Saturday.

One man in particular was pressing Johnson to say which side did he represent, being a black police officer.

"The first thing I represent is a man. The second thing I represent is a black man. Far down the ladder of them, I'm a husband, I'm a father. But down on the ladder of my life, I am a policeman. But I'm a Christian before that," said Johnson.

The man disagreed and said: "But when you're out here with that uniform on, you're police."

AP TELEVISION

1. Protesters marching, calling for justice for Michael Brown, the black teen who was fatally shot by a white police officer

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Malik Shabazz, Black Lawyers For Justice, National President:

"We'll keep demonstrating all night, and we are going to make sure that the message that officer Darren Wilson must be indicted and brought to justice right away."

3. Various of march

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Malik Shabazz, Black Lawyers For Justice, National President:

"I'm making sure that the traffic flows through, so that the police stay out of here. We don't want them to come here and antagonise everybody, so I make sure that the police stay out and I take charge with my forces, and that make sure everything goes okay."

7. Marchers, UPSOUND (English) "Black power, black power! To the people!"

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Vox pop - Walter Rice, Ferguson resident:

"I don't like this. I don't see American flags. We are all Americans. There's no black America, there's no white America. This is what I take. This is my home."

9. Captain Ron Johnson of Missouri State Highway Patrol talking with marcher while walking

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Captain Ron Johnson, Missouri State Highway Patrol:

(Man off-camera: "But right now you're representing that department.")

Johnson: "You know what I'm representing? Let me tell you what I represent. The first thing I represent is a man. The second thing I represent is a black man. Far down the ladder of them, I'm a husband, I'm a father. But down on the ladder of my life, I am a policeman. But I'm a Christian before that."

(Man off-camera: "I understand, that's how you consider yourself. Brother, brother, brother. I understand you consider yourself that. But when you're out here with that uniform on, you're police.")

11. Police walking through crowd, UPSOUND (English): "Hands up, don't shoot!"

12. Police shield, tilt up to officer

13. Line of officers

14. Close of officers' hands