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                           Missouri Protests Reignite

   by VOA News

   Protesters clashed with riot police early Saturday in the U.S. state of
   Missouri after police reports released on Friday said an African
   American teenager was a suspect in the theft of cigars from a store
   minutes before his shooting death by a police officer.

   Some protesters threw bottles and other objects at police.  Meanwhile,
   peaceful demonstrators urged the more aggressive protesters to stop.

   The police chief of the town of Ferguson, Thomas Jackson, on Friday
   released reports including surveillance video that they said showed
   18-year-old shooting victim Michael Brown involved in a confrontation
   with a convenience store clerk on August 9.  The report says Brown left
   with a box of cigars.  He was later shot by the officer responding to
   an emergency medical call.

   The reports did not explain what Brown's suspected theft had to do with
   the fatal encounter.  There remains little clarity surrounding the
   moments leading up to his death.

   At a news conference Friday, Chief Jackson said the officer initially
   stopped Brown because the teenager was blocking traffic as he walked
   down the street.

   The police chief identified the officer who shot and killed Brown as
   Darren Wilson, a six-year veteran of the force with no disciplinary
   record.  The police department placed Wilson on administrative leave
   after the shooting.  Jackson characterized Wilson as a "gentle, quiet
   man" who "never intended for any of this to happen."

   The incident has triggered violence in the town and vigils by thousands
   of people across the United States.

   At solidarity events held in nearly 100 cities Thursday, protesters
   observed a moment of silence for the teenager and others who have died
   at the hands of police.

   Police and protesters have clashed nearly every night since the
   shooting occurred in Ferguson, a town outside the city of St. Louis.

   On Thursday, U.S. President Barack Obama urged calm as police toned
   down their response to violent protests.

   Obama said, "There is never an excuse for violence against police, or
   for those who would use this tragedy as a cover for vandalism or
   looting.''

   He also said there is no excuse for police to use excessive force
   against peaceful protests or to throw protesters in jail for lawfully
   exercising their First Amendment rights.

   On Thursday, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon ordered the state police to
   take over security from local law enforcement, who have drawn heavy
   criticism for their response to the demonstrations.  He said the fact
   that Ferguson looks like a "war zone" after rioting is "unacceptable"
   and that police would shift their approach.

   Conflicting accounts of what happened are under investigation.
   Witnesses say a white police officer shot the black teenager multiple
   times as the young man had his arms raised but police say shots were
   fired during a struggle for the officer's gun.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/missouri-protests-reignite/2415486.html