Christopher BergSt. Loius, MO – Four police officers were shot in downtown St. Louis early Tuesday morning amid rioting in the city.
The St. Louis Police Department tweeted out that officers continue to take gunfire.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch initially reported gunfire at 12:25 a.m.
The location of the shooting isn’t clear. FOX2 reports that the gunfire may be in the Olive Street corridor near the police headquarters.
The police department tweeted, “We have had 4 officers struck by gunfire tonight. All have been transported to an area hospital. All are conscious and breathing. Their injuries are believed to be non-life threatening. Officers are still taking gunfire downtown & we will share more info as it available.”
UPDATE: Chief Hayden told reporters that the officers were standing near a police line when they were suddenly shot. After the gunman or gunmen opened fire on the police, they were able to get away and they remain at large.
The rioting in St. Louis intensified Monday night with rioters launching explosives at police throughout the night.
Rioters also set fire to buildings with continued looting.
The rioting comes after former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin was arrested on May 29 and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in connection with George Floyd’s death.
Officers had responded to a call about a counterfeit $20 that Floyd had allegedly used to make a purchase at a deli.
Store employees pointed out the suspect to police and they arrested him.
The complaint used to charge Chauvin said Floyd actively resisted arrest and then fought being put in the back of a police car once he had been handcuffed.
Viral cell phone video showed then-Officer Chauvin and three other officers holding Floyd on the ground.
The video showed Officer Chauvin held his knee on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes, during which time the suspect lost consciousness.
Chauvin remained on Floyd’s neck for almost three minutes after he was unresponsive.
Floyd was pronounced dead 90 minutes later at the hospital.
After three days of violent riots and looting that left Minneapolis and its sister city, St. Paul, in flames, the state investigative agency announced it making an arrest.
Chauvin was taken into custody by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension four days after the incident and held on a $500,000 bond, Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington announced, according to WCCO.
According to charging documents, the medical examiner’s preliminary report found no physical evidence that Floyd had suffered from asphyxiation or strangulation at the hands of the Minneapolis police.
The charging documents state, “The combined effects of Mr. Floyd being restrained by the police, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death.”
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