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.

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

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

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

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

Lawyers for Michael Brown's family said on Tuesday that the process that led to a white officer not being indicted in the fatal shooting of the unarmed, black 18-year-old was unfair and broken.

At a news conference in Ferguson they objected to St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch's decision to call a grand jury and to not appoint a special prosecutor.

Lawyer Anthony Gray called for "a presentation of evidence that if fair and impartial."

Civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton said they were not surprised by the outcome of the process, as they had "little faith in a state prosecution."

Sharpton criticised those who committed violence on Monday night, following the grant jury's announcement.

"Certainly there will be emotional reactions, I've never seen a case where there wasn't. You're dealing with their flesh and blood. But let the record be clear, you have broken our hearts, but you have not broken our backs," he said.

Michael Brown's father stood with the lawyers and Sharpton, but did not speak to reporters.

More than 1,000 pages of grand jury documents were released on Monday, including the testimony of officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed Brown on 9 August.

The US Justice Department has its own investigation into possible civil rights violations that could result in federal charges for Wilson, but investigators would need to satisfy a rigorous standard of proof.

The department also has launched a broad probe into the Ferguson Police Department.

AP TELEVISION

Ferguson, Missouri - 25 November 2014

1. Michael Brown's father, Michael Brown Sr., and lawyers walking into news conference

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Benjamin Crump, Brown family lawyer:

"We went through as much evidence as we could and saw how completely unfair this process was. We object (as) publicly and loudly as we can on behalf of Michael Brown Junior's family, that this process is broken. The process should be indicted. It should be indicted because of the continuous systematic results that is yielded by this process."

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Anthony Gray, Brown family lawyer:

"It's things like that, that just raises all kinds of red flags for us in this process. But we are going to hold out hope that at some point justice will be served and we will at least have a presentation of evidence that is fair and impartial and then we will allow the chips to fall where they may."

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Reverend Al Sharpton, civil rights activist:

"Last night, the appearance by the District Attorney made it clear to everyone why we had little faith in a state prosecution. I've been out involved in civil rights all my life. We have seen cases go ways that we felt were right and ways that we felt was wrong. I've never seen a prosecutor hold a press conference to discredit the victim."

5. Cutaway of news conference

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Reverend Al Sharpton, civil rights activist:

"We were not surprised at what the outcome was. Certainly it is painful for the mother and the father. Certainly there will be emotional reactions, I've never seen a case where there wasn't. You're dealing with their flesh and blood. But let the record be clear, you have broken our hearts, but you have not broken our backs."

7. Close-up of Sharpton asking Michael Brown Senior if he wishes to talk, Brown declining

8. Wide, pan to protesters in back of church interrupt end of news conference and are escorted out of the building

The streets of Ferguson filled once more with protesters late on Tuesday and early Wednesday, but the scene was much more subdued than previous nights in the US town which has been rocked by days of clashes with police over the fatal shooting of a black teenager.

Protesters marched peacefully through the streets and there were no immediate reports of clashes with police, who stood by with weapons and gas masks.

Tensions rose briefly after midnight (0600 GMT) as officers tried to remove the relatively small number of protesters who were still gathered on the streets of the Missouri town.

Several people were seen in handcuffs before most of the remaining crowd headed home.

Earlier in the day, Ferguson city leaders urged people to stay home after dark Tuesday and pledged to try to improve the police force in the area.

18-year-old Michael Brown, who was unarmed, was shot and killed by a white police officer on the 9th of August.

Protesters have been out in force every night for more than a week in protest against the killing.

Ferguson is a predominantly black St. Louis suburb where the police force is mostly white.

AP TELEVISION

++NIGHT SHOTS++

1. Armed police entering media staging area to force protesters out

2. Protesters

3. Police standing in line

4. Police walking

5. Stationary police officers, standing around small group of protesters

6. Police officers escorting protester with covered face

7. Police officers and protesters

8. Police officers and police vehicle

9. Handcuffed men sitting on ground

10. Police officers surrounding handcuffed man

11. Arrested protesters sitting on ground, officers standing over them

A huge crowd of people protesting against the death of a black Missouri teenager shot by a white police officer marched through the streets of Ferguson, a suburb of a US city of St. Louis for a fifth day on Thursday.

Chanting slogans and carrying banners calling for justice for 18-year-old Michael Brown, the protesters marched to the place of his killing, flanked by state police officers.

Brown was shot dead on Saturday.

In stark contrast to scenes from earlier this week, police officers marched with protesters and police cars were seen escorting the marchers through the streets of the neighbourhood where looters smashed and burned businesses on Sunday and police repeatedly fired tear gas and smoke bombs.

One protester said she hoped it was "the beginning of change" and that it was "incredibly important to stand with this community and let them know we are here and that we demand justice."

The protest came as it was announced that the Missouri state police would be taking over security in the St. Louis suburb, amid criticisms of the police response.

Governor Jay Nixon announced that state Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson, who is black, will supervise the security operation.

Earlier on Thursday President Barack Obama spoke publicly for the first time about the fatal shooting of Brown.

He expressed criticism of the subsequent violence that shocked the nation and threatened to tear apart Ferguson, a town that is nearly 70 percent black - and patrolled by a nearly all-white police force.

The city and county were also under criticism for refusing to release the name of the officer who shot Brown, citing potential threats against that officer and others.

AP TELEVISION

1. Police cars on road, police officers setting up road blocks in background

2. Police officers unloading traffic cones, road blocks

3. Police car passing by

4. Police cars escorting marching protesters

5. Protesters marching and chanting, two police officers marching along, UPSOUND (English): "Hands up, don't shoot!"

6. Marchers' feet crossing street

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Vox pop - Orlando Watson, protester from University City:

"This movement is long overdue. St. Louis has had racial tension for quite some time. And I guess it was just a matter of time before something like this would happen, so it's very important that we come out and show our support."

8. Police helicopter flying overhead monitoring protesters

9.SOUNDBITE (English) Vox pop - Elizabeth Tuckers, protester from St. Louis:

"Well, I think that hopefully it's the beginning of change. I think it's incredibly important to stand with this community and let them know we are here and that we demand justice."

10. Marchers chanting holding signs, marching toward the site of where Michael Brown was killed

11. Close of banner reading (English): "Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud."

12. Various of protesters marching, chanting, holding banners reading (English): "Black =/ thieves. Stop racial profiling", "Hands up. No justice no peace it's just us! Don't shoot."

13. Men marching arm in arm, chanting, UPSOUND (English): "Hands up, don't shoot!"

14. Reverse shot, following marchers

15. Protester holding banner reading (English): "We want a murder charge!!!"

16. Low angle of marchers' feet

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Tyson Manker, former US Marine:

"I would be damned if I come back to America and see my fellow Americans, my fellow citizens having their constitutional rights denied by police officers. I didn't go to Iraq to defend Iraqis, to come home and watch my neighbours get brutalised. So this is a systemic problem, responding with tanks and snipers to a peaceful protest is ridiculous and we're showing solidarity. There should be no tanks on US streets, it's absurd."

18. People chanting and marching, UPSOUND (English): "Hands up, don't shoot!"

19. Women in golf cart heading to rally point.

20. People gathered at rally point

21. Man leading chants with bull horn, UPSOUND (English): "What do we want? Justice. Hands up! Don't shoot!"

22. Woman chanting and holding banner reading (English): "I am an American!", tilt up to woman chanting and holding banner reading (English): "Justice for Mike Brown" amid crowd.

Protesters returned to the streets of Ferguson on Wednesday evening as tensions remained high after more than a week of unrest fuelled by the fatal shooting of black 18-year-old Michael Brown.

Police continued to stand guard in the St.Louis suburb, but the number of protesters was smaller than previous nights and many officers wore regular uniforms rather than riot gear.

Members of the crowd escorted one woman out of the area who was holding a sign that some interpreted as being supportive of the police.

Earlier on Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Holder sought to reassure the people of Ferguson about the investigation into Brown's death on 9 August.

Holder met with federal officials in Ferguson investigating the shooting.

He also met with Brown's parents.

"Our investigation is different from that which the state is doing. We are looking for violations of federal criminal civil rights statutes," said Holder.

In nearby Clayton, a grand jury began hearing evidence to determine whether the officer, Darren Wilson, should be charged in Brown's death.

A spokesman for St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch said there was no timeline for the process, but it could take weeks.

Clinton Stancil, a St. Louis church pastor, said black men had been marginalised and "dehumanised in every city in America," adding that the "Mike Brown situation has brought this whole thing to a head".

AP TELEVISION

++NIGHT SHOTS++

1. Police officers making an arrest

2. Pan of protesters

3. Police officer on street, UPSOUND (English) "Keep moving."

4. Protesters escorting woman - who was holding a sign that some interpreted as supporting the police.- out of the area

5. Protesters surrounding police vehicle

6. Woman holding sign reading (English) "Peaceful protesters=Guns down"

7. Protesters chanting (English) "I am...Mike Brown"

8. Various of protesters chanting (English)"No justice, no peace"

POOL

++INTERIOR SHOTS++

9. Eric Holder, US Attorney General (centre) in conference room

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Holder, US Attorney General:

"Now our investigation is different from that which the state is doing. We are looking for violations of federal criminal civil rights statutes, which is different from what the local investigation is. But we have brought a substantial number of people here, a number of agents here who have done a great job in the canvassing that they did over the past weekend. They continue to follow leads so that we can do a thorough and a fair job about making a determination about what happened on August the 9th."

11. Wide of Holder and officials in conference room

AP TELEVISION

++DAY SHOTS++

12. Protesters marching, two women holding sign reading (English) "I am faith in action"

13. Protesters marching and holding placards

14. Protester with loudspeaker

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Clinton Stancil, St. Louis church pastor:

"This is just not about Ferguson. This has been going on in every city in America. Black young men have been marginalised, they have been dehumanised in every city in America, and so this is just, I think the Ferguson situation and Mike Brown situation has brought this whole thing to a head."

16. Protesters marching and sign reading (English) "End police brutality"

17. Protesters