-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com pushed out. ferguson's police chief resigns after a damning report of a pattern of discrimination within his department. also gaining ground against isis. the push to reclaim a strategic iraqi town. citigroup service blunder and the men and women tasked with protecting the president land in trouble again. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. glad to be with you. i'm zain asher. >> and i'm john vause. this is cnn newsroom. it's a night in ferguson, missouri where months of demonstrations an a federal

investigation has led to another resignation. >> police chief thomas jackson says he's stepping down. his announcement led to another demonstration outside the city's police department this just on wednesday night. it has been loud and tense. you can see a scuffle breaking out there in the middle of the screen. but for the most part it has been largely peaceful. but there is a scuffle breaking out. there has been some arrests, as well. overall, though mostly peaceful. we'll keep an eye on it. >> ferguson's mayor called jackson an honorable man who felt resigning was best for the city. >> to ferguson residents, business owners and to the entire country, the city of ferguson looks to become an example of how a community can move forward in the face of adversity. we are committed to keeping our police department and having one that exhibits the highest degree of professionalism and fairness. >> jackson says he's sad to be

stepping down. he'll stay on the job another week to help with the transition. >> we have more on what led to the police chief's resignation. listen. >> reporter: this is what protesters have asked for, for nearly seven months now, for the police chief to step down. he has resigned. he will leave march 19th. they finally got what they want. but how did we get here? after months of resisting calls for his resignation, police chief thomas jackson said he's stepping down. jackson came under fire almost immediately after darren wilson a white ferguson police officer, shot and killed michael brown, a black teenager after a scuffle between the two. the anger began on the first day when brown's body wasn't removed for four hours. >> the community perceived that as less than humanity. >> reporter: that initial anger grew when jackson refused to reveal the name of the police officer who shot and killed

brown. nearly a week later, what he did, name officer darren wilson jackson's department used the name news conference to release surveillance video of brown stealing a pack of cigars while shoving the store clerk. hours later, jackson held a second press conference saying officer wilson did not actually know brown was the robbery suspect during their initial encounter, sparking more outrage. >> you have a police chief that comes out and it sounded in the initial press conference is he the police chief or the defense attorney? >> reporter: the missteps continued. a month later, jackson recorded an apology. >> i'm truly sorry for the loss of your son. >> reporter: that night, he met with protesters agreeing to march with them. but even that meeting turned ugly. despite all this jackson repeatedly said that he was the right man for the job. >> i intend to see this thing through.

i've been working with a lot of community members to work on some progressive changes that will bring the community together. >> reporter: last week the justice department released the results of its investigation, disproportionate arrests of black people and racist e-mails. and this the revelation that the department systematically raised city revenues through aggressive ticketing, with blacks being hit the hardest. jackson, noting that one month the department passed the $2 million mark for the first time in history. shortly after its release, i caught up with thomas jackson, who would not respond to repeated requests for an interview. are you planning upon resigning? >> i will let you know. >> reporter: are you thinking about it? >> i've told you. >> reporter: you haven't told us anything. the city has announced the interim chief. it was the assistant chief. he will take the reigns while

the city does a nationwide search for a new police chief. i have to mention this also though. not everyone in the community wanted to see the police chief gone. not everybody in the community wants to see the police department dissolved. the chief was worried about that which is one of the reasons that he hung on to this position hoping he could save the department. but he decided after the doj report that he was time and better for the community for him to go. zain, john? >> he's going to be getting severance payment and health insurance for one year. >> there is that search now across the united states to find a replacement. >> we'll see if it brings change. now to another story. australia is looking into reports that a melbourne teenager carried out a suicide attack for isis in iraq. >> the foreign minister confirms the 18-year-old went to iraq and syria in august of last year. >> this is a tragic story, if

the reports are confirmed. he will be yet another australian who has been killed in this conflict on the side of a brutal terrorist organization. >> his aunt spoke to our affiliate in australia in melbourne on monday. >> he's just a young boy that went looking for something after he lost someone very, very dear to him, his mother. >> the foreign minister says there are about 19 australian citizens in iraq and syria who are fighting on behalf of isis and 20 others have been killed there. iraqi government forces led by shia militia have recaptured three quarters of the city of tikrit from isis. but the commander of that militia group says about 150 isis fighters are still holding out. >> isis has gained some ground of its own to the west of baghdad. senior international correspondent ben wedeman has the details from baghdad.

>> reporter: it's a mixed picture in the fight against isis in syria and iraq. in iraq in tikrit iraqi forces including seem to be making good forces. they have entered to the north of tikrit and taken a military hospital in that area. from the south, they're also advancing. they retook a hospital once known as the saddam hospital. the last we heard is that the iraqi forces managed to cut off the last escape route out of tikrit. so it may be a matter of time. but it seems like isis is cornered there. however, just to the west of baghdad in ramadi a much different picture. this morning, there was a concerted assault by isis on the city. officials tell us 17 car bombs and truck bombs went off outside

checkpoints and government facilities. in addition sois reportedly fired more than 100 rocket and mortar rounds into the city. officials say that five iraqi policemen were killed more than 100 wounded, more than 30 civilians killed. they did say more than 40 isis fighters were killed in that assault. at this point, ramadi is now under a curfew until further notice. according to officials there, they expect another attack. elsewhere in northeastern syria, a concerted assault also there by isis. that town right on the border between syria and turkey. it's not unlike the town of kobani, which last year was under assault by isis but were driven back by kurdish fighters and coalition aircraft. ben wedeman, cnn, reporting from baghdad. the u.s. department of homeland security is

investigating yet another incident of alleged misconduct by secret service agents. "the washington post" first reported two top agents allegedlyalleged ly drunk crashed a government car. >> one of the agents involved is apparently a member of president obama's protective detail. the reporter who broke the story sat down with cnn earlier. take a listen. >> what happened here is that guys all got together and women presumably for a retirement party of a beloved secret service official and agent, downtown washington bar. late that night, wednesday, march 4th returned to the white house complex allegedly to get their cars. according to our sources, they were leaving the complex and the officers for the secret service, who monitor the safety of the white house complex and ultimately the president and his family felt that these two

individuals may been intoxicated, before driving erratically, acting erratically, and they wanted to stop them and question them and potentially arrest them. the secret service told us today they are confirming that there is an allegation or a series of allegations involving misconduct by these two individuals, very senior people and they are investigating it and that director clancy has asked the department of homeland security to take over the investigation. in part because the guys are so high ranking. >> for those of you who are keeping score at home this is not the first time secret service agents have been under fire for misconduct on the job blunders. last year three agents were sent home after one was found passed out after a night of drinking. agents were then caught brinking prostitutes to their hotel in colombia. >> and probably the most embarrassing job failure happened just last fall. a lot of you remember this.

an armed man, basically armed with a knife, climbed over the white house fence and he actually made it very deep inside the building before the secret service agents tackled him to the ground. still to come here a confession taken back. one of the suspects in the shooting death of a russian opposition leader says he didn't do it. coming up we'll tell you what he's saying now. also ahead, two australian men on death row in indonesia have to wait a little bit longer to learn their fate. why a court date for the bali nine has come to a halt. stay with us. new new financial noise financial noise financial noise

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need to lower your blood sugar? ask your doctor about farxiga and visit our website to learn how you may be able to get every month free. welcome back everyone. the u.s. military has suspended its search for seven marines and four army crew members who have been presumed dead after their black hawk helicopter crashed off of florida's coast. >> we're told human remains have washed ashore in the area. the chopper went missing in foggy conditions late tuesday during a routine training exercise. >> the seven members have not been identified. the search is expected to resume later on today. the main suspect in the shooting death of a russian opposition leader is recanting his confession.

he pled guilty to the shooting last month he said because he was tortured and his family and friends were threatened. >> he's one of two suspects charged in the killing. authorities say the activists are accused of interfering with the investigation and will be questioned. the two men on death row in indonesia, part of the so-called bali 9, sentenced to death, were denied clemency by indonesia's president but were never told why. >> so lawyers appeared in court to ask for a decision but the hearing was postponed until next week. >> let's go now to bangkok. we're hearing the appeals process is adjourned until march 19th because representatives from the attorney general's office were not present. do we know why they weren't

present, saima? >> reporter: yes, astounding really if you think about it. men's lives being held in the balance, zain. and yet the attorney general's office representatives don't come to court today. in fact we're not sure why exactly, zain. but we do know that they -- there was a letter that was -- that should have been signed by the president, which hadn't been signed. so then to represent him in court, so that scuffled proceedings. today, everyone was poised hoping for some kind of finality. a bittersweet wait now, of course before they hear whether or not the two will be saved from execution or death by firing squad. zain john? >> yeah, and we're also hearing that the foreign minister in australia is appealing, she's

offered to pay the cost of life in prison for those men to prevent them being executed. is that having any impact whatsoever in terms of persuading the indonesian president? >> reporter: yeah let's make no mistake, australia is doing everything it can publicly and privately to save these two australian citizens and they're doing it of course, publicly to try and garner public support. judy bishop just held a press conference saying look we're trying everything. we've discussed a prisoner swap. that came up last week. and now they're offering as well to try to cover their cost in jail should their death sentence be commuted to life in imprisonment. have they had a response? she said no. we don't believe as in cnn

doesn't believe, whether or not the president of indonesia has responded to prime minister tony abbott either. we do know that they maintain indonesia is a sovereign state and their laws should be respected. add to that of course the australian delegation of islamic scholars who are appealing to the indonesian nation and to remind them that they're at the heart of islam is mercy and forgiveness for these two australian citizens. john zain? >> it's not just judy bishop and tony abbott but richard branson is trying to persuade the indonesian government to let them go. >> i don't think i've ever seen a case of the australian government working this hard to

free two australian citizens. we're going to take a short break. when we come back a daring late night raid in northern france. armed men attacked a van carrying millions in jewels. we'll have the latest coming up. also a congressional hearing turns contentious on that open letter by republicans to iran. >> this is not a speech. this is a statement about the impact of this irresponsible letter. my lenses have a sunset mode. and an early morning mode. and a partly sunny mode. and an outside... to clear inside mode. transitions® signature™ adaptive lenses... are more responsive than ever. so why settle for a lens with just one mode? experience life well lit®. ...upgrade your lenses to transitions® signature™. visit your local walmart vision center today. to ask about transitions® signature™ lenses with chromea7™ technology. and start living a life well lit®.

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anger over u.s. republican senators sending an open letter to iran has reached a new level on capitol hill. >> senators confronted the secretary of state. and as michelle kaczynski reports, he was blunt. >> this is absolute nonsense. to say that we should not be communicating is nonsense. i saw in theigned the letter to iran, but the message was to president obama that we want you to obey the law and you to understand the separation of powers. >> reporter: secretary of state john kerry facing senators today on that open letter signed by 47 republicans, cautioning iran

about making a nuclear deal with this administration. he fired his own message right back. >> my reaction to the letter was utter disbelief. to write them and suggest that they're going to give a constitutional lesson which by the way was absolutely incorrect, is quite stunning. >> mr. secretary, i know that's a well-written speech -- >> it's not a speech. this is not a speech. this is a statement about the impact of this irresponsible letter. >> reporter: its impact still going. hillary clinton tweeting that it undermines america's leadership. no one considering running for commander in chief should be signing on. bobby jindal another possible contender, shot back no one who allows iran to become a nuclear power should consider running. but some concede maybe signing the letter wasn't the best idea.

the white house definitely isn't smiling. >> our allies understand that when they make commitments with the executive branch of the united states of america, they're making commitments that the country is going to live up to. to have that undermined as part of a partisan tactic by republicans is damaging. now you might have an excuse for some of our allies or some of our partners like russia and china to say, well the iranians were unreasonable but we saw 47 republican senators in the united states of america stand up and throw sand in the gears of the diplomatic process. maybe the united states isn't, after all, acting in as good of faith as they should. >> reporter: michelle kaczynski, cnn, the white house. hillary clinton has not laid to rest the controversy over her use of personal e-mails while secretary of state. the chairman of the oversight committee is expected to ask for

her e-mails on friday. >> hillary clinton has refused to turn her server over. and the associated press has filed suit to obtain the e-mails. requests under the freedom of information act have gone unfulfilled for years. at this hour tracking a number of dangerous cyclones heading towards western australia and other parts of the tropic. derek vandam is here to give us the details. two heading for australia and two in the area. >> this is the second time that australia has been simultaneously impacted by double cyclones. it's amazeing to see the amount of tropical activity taking place, as well as the country of australia here. so let's look at what we have taking place. i want to take note this the strongest storm. tropical cyclone pam. you can see four tropical

cyclones as we speak. owen nathan pam rotateing in counterclockwise direction. this is nathan. 95-kilometer-per-hour sustained winds. it's more the rainfall potential as the storm churns around the northern parts of queensland. interesting to note the great barrier reef is just offshore. heavy rainfall can have a very negative impact on the great barrier reef. and we tropical cyclone owen. not a major populated area here but lots of rain anticipated as it heads towards perth later

this weekend. this is the big one, tropical cyclone pam, and port villa has the potential to see extreme storm surge and strong winds. this is equivalent to a strong category 4 atlantic hurricane. if this stays on the east side of the islands we'll start to see some of the worst storm surge. but if it crosses over it will be the northern parts of the island that see the extreme storm surge. you'll notice that the particular area within this region is about 60 meters above sea level. so that's going to just put this particular port city in serious danger of the potential of storm surge. so strong winds, potential of storm surge and life threatening winds, as well. >> thanks, derek. we'll keep an eye on it. armed men have made off with millions of dollars worth of jewels in a daring raid in

northern france. the heist took place around midnight today. roughly around 170 kilometers southeast of paris. >> aboutthey fled with goods worth $9.5 million. some believe the chance the suspect also be caught is pretty low. >> i think there's maybe a 10% to 20% chance they'll be caught. there was the threat of violence which definitely marks them. each group has their own m.o. there will be difficulties fencing these stones. it's the pink panthers, they have the right connections. >> police are now using aircraft in the search for the thieves. when we come back, iraqi forces are moving closer to recapturing all of isis. plus there are some

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welcome back everybody. you're watching cnn newsroom. i'm john vause. >> and i'm zain asher. australia's foreign minister is looking into reports that a melbourne teenager has carried out a suicide attack for isis in iraq. judy bishop confirms that the 18-year-old went to the region in august of last year. isis said on wednesday that he carried out an attack in ramadi. the police chief of ferguson, missouri is stepping

down after a federal investigation revealed systemic problems in policing tactics and the court system. chief thomas jackson's resignation follows those of a number of other city employees. about 1500 people marched in wisconsin after a teenager was killed by a police officer. he says the 19-year-old attacked him. the officer is now on paid administrative leave. iraqi government forces are gaining ground in their fight against isis. the commander of a shia paramilitary force says three quarters of the city is in government hands. only about 150 isis fighters remain. >> kurdish forces are battling isis to the north outside of kirk cut and to the west isis launched a new offensive on the city of ramadi.

shia and sunni militia are fighting alongside iraqi forces in the battle for tikrit. iran is supplying weapons and advisers as well. that has some in the u.s. worried about what kind of influence tehran will exert in iraq of the future. pentagon correspondent barbara starr explains. >> reporter: north of tikrit 23,000 iranian backed show eded shia troops gaining ground. hoisting flags and retaking the town. a hint today that the u.s. role could grow. the pentagon looking at a possible no-fly zone over parts of syria to protect u.s. backed rebels from being attacked by bashar al assad's forces. >> we've been in two rounds of discussions with our turkish counterparts about that. it was always my advice that we had to come to some conclusion to assure them that they would

be protected. now the scope and scale of that protection is the part of this that's being debated. >> reporter: the president's top diplomat and defense secretary on capitol hill on wednesday to push congress to give the white house new authority to fight isis promising again that the u.s. does not want to send combat troops or make the fight a u.s. only one. >> the implications of that would be actually to aid in the recruitment, to create a bigger problem than we face today. that's what they want. we're not getting suckered into that. >> reporter: iraqi troops still cannot conduct large scale operations on their own. iran's help and influence, however, a major worry for the president's top military adviser. >> there's ways they can promote a better iraq economically for example. and there's ways they can wield that influence to create a state where the sunni and the kurds are no longer welcome.

>> reporter: the secretary of state acknowledging the u.s. and iran do share a goal. >> they would welcome our bombing additionally isis actually. they want us to destroy isis. they want to destroy isis. >> reporter: in ramadi, isis undeterred releasing images of what it claims are its attacks, more than 150 rounds of mortars and missiles nearly 20 car bombs. the new defense secretary says the u.s. has the obligation to protect the syrian rebels it sends in to fight, but how to do it? president obama has already ruled out u.s. ground troops in syria. so does it mean that either the u.s. or some other country has to go in from the air? no decision has been made we've been told. barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. this month marks four years since the start of the war in syria. a new report gives the united nations a failing grade for its response to the syrian crisis

this past year. the u.n. called for all parties to cease attacks against civilians. instead, at least 76,000 civilians were killed in 2014 including thousands of children. >> the u.n. called on all parties to lift seizure of populated areas, but 212,000 people are still besieged and millions live in areas hard to reach. the u.n. also called on all parties in the conflict to work towards a political solution but peace talks collapsed in february of 2014. okay. we're going to take a short break. when we come back a look at how fans of jeremy clarkson are backing him as his tv career hangs in the balance. travelers around the world are leaving their foot prints but not in a good way. we'll tell you about tourists behaving badly. that's coming up. thrives on the unexpected. ha-ha! shall we dine? [ chuckle ] you wouldn't expect an insurance company to show you their rates and their competitors' rates

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this just in to cnn. the reuters news agency quoting witnesses at ferguson that gunfire has been heard outside the police department at ferguson, missouri. we are still working to confirm this. a lot of talk about this on social media. protests have been gathering there, they've been holding these demonstrations throughout the night. there was some scuffles as you can see there. this was shot earlier in the noigt. they gathered outside the ferguson police department after word that the police chief, thomas jackson, had resigned.

now, what we have been told that these shots have been heard. we don't know where they've come from. we don't know if anybody has been wounded in all of this. we're still working again as we say to confirm any of this. but this has been ongoing for the last couple of hours. the protesters who initially went out there to celebrate according to some the decision by the police chief to resign. others were asking for the mayor to step down as well. but now those protests up until this point seem to be mostly peaceful. and just to repeat, the word that we are getting right now from the reuters news agency there has been in fact witnesses reporting the sound of shots being fired outside the ferguson police department. at this point, that's all we know. of course all of this comes after that department of justice report into the ferguson police department and the court system there, and the city as well and

finding widespread systemic racism against african-americans. we'll continue to follow this and bring you more details. okay. to more news now. new comments from the greek prime minister are likely to further strain relations between athens and berlin. he spoke about reestablishing a committee to investigate war reparations from germany to greece over the nazi occupation from world war ii. here's what he had to say in parliament. >> translator: the new greek government has a goal and that is why it encourages the greek parliament and the committee that is to be reestablished. we will approach the issue with the necessary sensitivity, a sense of responsibility and sincerity with an attitude of cooperation and dialogue. however, we expect the same from the german government for

political, historical symbolic, but also ethical reasons. >> germany is dismissing any demands for compensation saying that has already been dissolved. from defacing monuments to defecating in the wrong places more tourists are behaving badly. >> thai officials held a meeting to deal with the problems caused by international visitors. and in china, the government has issued a national guide book on how to be a better tourist. they may be cashed up and ready to spend, but from italy to thailand some are asking could the tourists be more trouble than they're worth? last week, two americans carved their initials into rome's coliseum two australians, a canadian and a russian did the same thing last year. the russian was guilty of causing aggravated damage and

hit with a 20,000 euro fine. egyptian authorities are investigating how a porn film starring a russian company was shot with the pyramids as a backdrop. and some new zealanders are furious with foreign drivers who they blame for traffic accidents saying tourists don't know the rules of the road. this steering wheel tag with safety messages including the all-important "keep left." rage in the sky, as well. this recent months an air eschi flight was forced back to ban dock's airport when a chinese woman threw hot water on a flight attendant during an argument over noodles. 25 passengers were detained on a china eastern airlines flight

after opening emergency exits as the plane pushed back from the gate. they were angry that after an hour's long delay, the crew shut down the air conditioning to deice the plane. and there was a brawl on a china flight over a crying baby. tourism officials in thailand expressed concern when these images went viral on social media. and chinese tourists were reportedly banned from the bathrooms after complaints they were urinating on walls, doing even worse to the floors. so much for take-only photos and leave only footprints. a lot of the reporting recently seems to focus on chinese tourists behaving badly. maybe because there's just more of them. almost 110 million last year which means there are more chinese tourists than americans and germans and the list just goes on and on. for more now, we're joined by

the chief operating officer in shanghai. jane we've been through this before. we've seen the ugly american the loud drunk australian. germans with their towels at dawn. japanese with their cameras. is this any different with the chinese? >> i think it's a growing pain. china has grown so fast in the past 30 years. there is some places that there is a disconnect. but people are very eager to learn about the culture from all over the world. they're very positive. they want to make improvements. i hope they will make a good connection and good interaction with each other and increase their friendship and peace. >> we do have these guidelines issued by the government in beijing, the do's and don'ts of traveling overseas.

don't spit don't litter that kind of stuff. are these taken seriously by chinese travelers and is the government that concerned about its image overseas? >> i think so. i think, again, the government welcomes people coming to china and also encourage its citizens to improve its image going forward. i have a strong belief that as the economy is growing, people's living standards will increase. and i can see the young people so young they're already eager to learn about the culture in the u.s. in europe in africa. there is a hunger to learn about the world. of course again, with such a huge population, not everybody is the same. so in the school in government every way is putting positive measures to make sure the image is improved that kids are

learning from a young age to be respectful and be aware of different cultures. i think we will see a whole different generation going forward. so we are positive about it. >> is there a learning curve here on both sides? there's a learning curve for the chinese and for the countries who want their tourist dollars, because we are talking about a lot of dollars and a lot more in the future. >> correct, correct. i think it's all moving towards the positive side. >> jane, thanks for being with us. jane sun, ceo of seatrip.com. >> thank you very much. of course we will continue to monitor the situation in ferguson, missouri. we've heard word that shots were heard outside the police department. there's been a protest there in the last couple of hours, all of this after the police chief decided to resign on wednesday. >> those protests were initially peaceful and initially celebrating thomas jackson's resignation.

but tensions are high since the justice department released that report showing systematic racism within the ferguson police department. so we'll keep an eye on this situation. >> hope any we'll have more information after the break. stay with us. you're watching cnn. esurance was born online. which means fewer costs, which saves money. their customer experience is virtually paperless which saves paper, which saves money. they have smart online tools so you only pay for what's right for you which saves money. they settle claims quickly which saves time, which saves money.

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the police department. we are still working to get confirmation about exactly what has happened. we don't know whether there have been injuries although an ambulance was seen leaving with lights and soyirens on. >> protesters have been gathering there after word that police chief thomas jackson resigned from his position. but he wasn't the only person to resign. the city manager resigned as well. dozens of police officers are watching over the demonstrations which of course had been mostly peaceful. there were a couple of scuffles that unfolded but mostly peaceful. you can see images taken earlier in the day, this video. you can see a scuffle breaking out there. one man apparently punching he's being held back there. >> let's go to these live images. the police are out in force. at this demonstration, that peaceful demonstration we believe, the police were wearing riot gear even though it had

been mostly peaceful. now we have word that the sound of gunfire has been heard at this demonstration, as well. we also have been told of an ambulance which was seen leaving the area a short time ago, because there may be the possibility that there could be injuries as a result of this gunfire, whether it was one shot or two shots or more at this point is unclear. again, this is still early in a breaking news story. so as you can see, there is a situation obviously developing right now. >> the situation is very tense, the energy very high there in ferguson. protesters have been gathering for quite some time. >> they were celebrating at one point the resignation of the police chief. they're also calling for the mayor to stand down as well. the resignation of the police chief is now the sixth city official from ferguson to leave as a result of the department of justice report which found the

systemic racism within the court system the city system as well as within the police department. we know that the police chief had, in fact refused for a very long time to step down. he was criticized for a long time especially after he refused to name darren wilson as the officer who was the man who shot the unarmed teenager michael brown. he was also criticized very heavily when he released that security camera footage of michael brown involved in an incident at a convenience score where he was seen shoplifting. then violence erupted in august of last year when michael brown was shot. so he's now gone. five other city officials are gone. we've had this demonstration, which we've been saying for a long time now, it was mostly peaceful. a few scuffles broke out. but within the last maybe 30 40 minutes or so, we had this

report a lot of reporting on social media, this one report that we're getting from reuters that the sound of gunfire was heard. >> within this community, there have been so many calls for the past several months for darren wilson to be charged for the death of michael brown, but the grand jury said there wasn't enough evidence to charge him, there wasn't enough evidence that michael brown did have his hands in the air. now we're hearing reports there has been gunfire there tonight. initially, the protests were peaceful and then a scuffle broke out. there seemed to be some fighting. >> and there has been a lot of speculation about who may have been injured. we're getting word that two police officers may, in fact be wounded, may have been shot as a result of the gunfire, which has been reported by reuters.

sorry, what are we doing? okay. we have a witness on the line for us. sorry, we're still working to get someone on the line. so in the meantime what we're trying to work out right now, where did that shot come from how many shots were involved how many people have been wounded. the st. louis post dispatch saying two police officers have been wounded, which would explain why there was an ambulance seen leaving the area with lights flashing that the injuries were serious one imagines which is why they were taken to the hospital. of course who fired that shot, why, was it a protester, someone from outside the protest group? at this point, we just don't know. it was a small protest. the police were in riot gear. it was certainly not the scene that we had witnessed several months ago when ferguson was actually at the worst of the violence. but again, it seems violence has

once again returned to the streets of ferguson, missouri with at least two police officers apparently shot. that's the word we're getting from the st. louis post dispatch. >> this is the new situation the new police chief is going to inherit. the new police chief is going to be inheriting this situation, so can he instigate some degree of change within that police department there in ferguson sh >> we'll continue to monitor this story. this is breaking news out of ferguson, missouri. two policemen shot. much more when we come back after the break. and aleve is proven to work better on pain than tylenol arthritis. so why am i still thinking about this? how are ya? good. aleve. proven better on pain. and an early morning mode. and a partly sunny mode. and an outside...to clear inside mode. transitions ® signature ™ adaptive lenses...

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welcome back everybody. you're watching "cnn newsroom." we have breaking news at this hour from ferguson missouri, where it's believed two police officers have been shot after a night of protests there outside the police department there in ferguson missouri. this is coming from the st. louis post dispatch and a number of other local news organizations saying that gunfire rang out about an hour or so ago. witnesses say they heard a number of shots being fired and now we have these reports from local media saying that these two police officers have been wounded. this was a protest which started in the wake of the resignation of the police chief there. he decided to step down after weeks and months of pressure. they were celebrating at one stage. they why also calling for the