FERGUSON, Mo. — A Ferguson, Missouri, police officer was critically injured outside the city’s police station during protests on the 10th anniversary of the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, a pivotal moment in the national Black Lives Matter movement, police said Saturday.
Ferguson police chief Troy Doyle said Officer Travis Brown suffered a severe brain injury Friday after being knocked to the ground.
“He is in an area hospital right now fighting for his life,” Doyle said.
Two other officers also were hurt, one suffering an ankle injury and another an abrasion.
The Ferguson Police Department said that two protesters were arrested Friday night and that there were “other persons of interest” and warrants “being sought.”
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office shared the charges in five cases against protesters with NBC News and confirmed two of the five defendants were already in custody.
Of the two protesters in custody, one is charged with attempted assault in the third degree and resisting arrest, while the other was charged with five counts, including assault in the first and fourth degree.
The other three defendants face charges of property damage, a class E felony.
The team of officers went out to make arrests Friday for destruction of property at the police station, where protesters gathered to remember Michael Brown, the unarmed Black 18-year-old who was killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer in 2014.
In photos shared by the Ferguson Police Department with NBC News, damage is visible to the lower portion of a fence owned by the department. Damage exceeded $750, according to the charging documents.
Doyle said Travis Brown started with the department in January and previously worked for the St. Louis County Police Department.
“He wanted to be part of the change,” Doyle said. “He wanted to make an impact in our community. He’s the type of officer that we want in our community. And what happens? He gets assaulted. I had to look his mother in the eye and tell her what happened to her son. I’m never going to do that again, I promise you that.”
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