st. louis county police chief the two officers have serious injuries but have been conscious. one st. louis officer has been shot in the shoulder, another in the face. all of this happening after midnight. right now no word on who fired those shots the shootings happening during protests hours after ferguson police chief thomas jackson announced that he would resign, that resignation set to take effect in one week. all of this coming on the heels of that skatings justice department report on ferguson police department and court system alleging widespread bias. john henry smith has been tracking the story throughout the evening. what's the latest? >> police officers from neighboring departments had gathered outside the ferguson police departments in case protests got out of control. just after midnight, things did get out of control in a most frightening way. >> journalists and a protesting crowd were beginning to disperse when suddenly at midnight, shots rang out. witnesses counted three to fou

listen to st. louis county police chief, the st. s he described what happened on the ground. >> when they heard the shots and when they heard the bullets singing past, they saw muzzle flashes. these muzzle flashes were probably about 125 yards away. many officers drew their weapons but no officers fired. what if we're in a situation where it's 25 or 50 yards away and it's a threat right there in front of you that can be engaged except we're around a situation to where perhaps 30, 50, 60, 70 people are around. we really need to understand the dangers of this. >> chief belmar said we're very close to burying two police officers in ferguson. luckily they're said to be recovering. >>> i want to bring in benjamin crump, the attorney for the family of michael brown. of course what's been going on in ferguson all started in august, this chapter started in august when michael brown was killed by officer darren wilson. thank you for being with us. you spent so much time in this community. i want your reaction to what happened overnight? >> wh

st. louis post dispatch, two officers have been shot. their condition at this point is unknown. marcus law, a witness on the phone, we appreciate you being on the phone with us. we appreciate the details you have given the last few minutes. and just to repeat in case you are just joining us right now. shots have been heard outside the police department in ferguson missouri. marcus law who was actually on the scene and who's taken part in what was up until that point a mostly peaceful protest. he says he heard four to five shots coming from an area behind the protests. as far as marcus is concerned, he believes the protesters were not involved in this shooting. of course we don't know. there will be an investigation to find out exactly what happened here. >> the shots rang out in an area nowhere near the protesters. he doesn't want the protesters to be blamed for this. he doesn't want the police officers to come at the protesters even harder than they already are. sew so we'll see what the ramif

a st. louis county officer was struck in the shoulder and a webster groves police officer was struck in the face. both those officers are here right now. they're being treated. i don't have an official status on what their condition is right now. they are conscious, however, those are very serious gunshot injuries to be able to sustain in your upper torso and certainly in your face. they're being treated right now. the officers will not be identified at this point other than the fact that the st. louis county police officer is 41 years old. he's a 14-year veteran of law enforcement and then we have the webster groves officer who is 32 years old and he's been on the department for approximately five years. so you know i would like to just underscore if i could for a minute you know we have had an occasion to be involved in many of the events in ferguson since the -- since michael brown was killed, and i think we've been very fortunate as we've moved forward not to have similar instances like this

a st. louisficer was struck in the shoulder and a webster grove police officer was struck in the face. both officers are here now, they're being treated. i don't have an official status on what their condition is right now. they are conscious. however, those are very serious gunshot injuries to sustain in your upper torso, and certainly in your face. so they're being treated right now. family is with them. the officers will not be identified at this point other than the fact that the st. louis county police officer is 41 years old. a 14-year veteran of law enforcement. and then we have the webster groves officer who is 32 years old, and he's been on the department for approximately five years. so i would like to just underscore, if i could, for a minute, we've had an occasion to be involved in many of the events in ferguson since michael brown was killed. and i think we've been very fortunate as we've moved forward, not to have similar instances like this happen to us all along. but i've said all

st. louis county police chief jon belmar says the officers came from neighboring departments. helping out ferguson officers. we will play some sound right now from chief belmar. after you hear him explain what happened you will hear from a witness who was there when the officers were shot. >> the night was fairly uneventful until about midnight. at midnight the crowd was starting to break up. several protesters started to leave the area. to the immediate north/northwest of the ferguson police department several shots were fired. at least three. two officers were struck. st. louis county officer struck in the shoulder and webster grove police officer struck in the face. both officers are here right now and being treated. i don't have an official status on what their condition is right now. they are conscious. >> probably 30 feet away from the crowd. all of a sudden i heard four to five shots rang out. i know the area. i know the shots came from at least over by the grassy area beyond the subway.

st. louis county police questioned two young men and a 23-year-old woman taken from the home. the woman's grandmother, iris turner tells me her granddaughter called overnight to say she was at the protest and heard the shots. >> it's just crazy. it's so crazy, these kids up there protesting and doing this. they need to be at home. that's where they need to be. >> reporter: turner says police followed her granddaughter from the protest last night, but she does not know why police raided the home and brought in her granddaughter for questioning. st. louis county police chief john belmar says finding the people responsible for shooting the officers is the number one priority. >> this is really an ambush is what it is. >> reporter: this amateur video captures the tense moments after the shots rang out as the crowd was starting to wind down around midnight. police say the shots were fired from a hill about 120 yards away from where the demonstrators and police were gathering. >> they were about, i w

the st. louis county police chief described the injuries and said the outcome could have been tragic. >> fortunately, with both officers we don't have any remarkable long-term injuries. in other words, we didn't -- there wasn't a -- it wasn't in somebody's brain or heart or anything like this. but you need to know these two officers took a very hard hit. any time you're not in the face and have a bullet lodged in your head have a through and through wound where the bullet enters your shoulder and comes out the middle of your right back those are hard hits. we're lucky by god's grace we don't lose two officers last night. >> police say the shooting of the two officers was an ambush and that the shots were direct the at the police. the protests were winding down when shots rang out. jake tap ser there joining us. give us the latest on what's going on. we know this search apparently still continued for the shooter or more shooters. >> reporter: that's right. st. louis county police were searching a ho

he can reap more benefits there than st. louis. st. louis is trying to give him something new and shiny so he'll stay as opposed to spending his own money in another community. >> by coming out foursquare does it send a signal to the federal government on these finances. >> it brings sanity to the issue of what is a public and private enterprise. teaches and bonds are subsidised, some of the benefits going to people down river, and, therefore, you need to provide some subsidy to get the local government to make a plant big enough to provide benefits to those folks. >> part of it is whether or not it's a public use. we can't say if a private business is a public use. >> it's hard to find collective consumption, public good aspects to this. you sell tickets, pay a fee, watch the game. the money goes into the pockets of the business, the typical way to do things. in most businesses the capital costs are paid for by the business. in this instance because they organised the cartels that restrict entry into the industry and franchises giving

the st. louis county officer was struck right here on the shoulder, and the bullet came out the middle of his right back between his scapula and his spine. fortunately with both officers we don't have any remarkable long-term injuries. in other words there wasn't a -- it wasn't in somebody's brain or heart or anything like this but you need to know these two officers took a very hard hit, any time you have shot in the face and have a bullet lodged in your head or have a through and through wound where a bullet entered your shoulder and comes out of your back those are hard hits. so we're lucky by god's grace we didn't lose two officers last night. one of the things i talked about is that we do need to understand as a community, and we certainly understand it as a police department and law enforcement, that we have an obligation that folks that want to express their first amendment rights have the ability to do that but when you look at the tenor of at least some of the people involved in the protes

st. louisnty police department. the other from a town of webster groves. there were a number of jurisdictions at this police department because the chief of that department spoke to the media and said both officers are conscious. one was shot in the shoulder. the other shot in the face. the officers were helping with the crowds in ferguson during a protest that built after the city's police chief announced that he was in fact stepping down. we want to bring in our sara sidner now. she has spent many months in ferguson missouri. the past seven months in fact. joins us now on the phone to talk about this. you, the overall picture, would get the sense that citizens are happy, that changes are coming to the city but there does appear to be at least one individual who's hoping to take advantage of divisions there right now. >> caller: assumptions about who it is that actually is responsible for the shooting. listening to the police chief of st. louis county he also said we don't know who it is. we a

st. louis county, home to one of the officers shot. >> this is really an ambush what it is you can't see it coming and don't understand it, you're baseiseically defenseless. >> take a look at this dramatic images of police rushing to help a downed officer and s.w.a.t. teams converging on a house in ferguson as part of the investigation into the events in last night. three people have been taken into questioning, no arrests at this point. a reporter with the new york times joins me live from ferguson. john, let's talk about the update on the three people that were taken in for questioning. what do you know about them? >> we haven't heard much from authorities. we did speak with the grandmother of a woman taken into custody. and she said that her granddaughter wasty at the protest last night and when shots were fired she left and she went and dropped a friend off. when she came back to her home that there were police officers there and they had taken her into custody. the grandmother's understand

the st. louis this hadn't happened before. do you agree? >> i agree, you know. look at the tragedy we had in new york city with two officers who were targeted. there's always somebody who has been unviolent. that shouldn't be put on protesters and their first amendment rights clearly, and this doesn't seem like it came from the crowd but even a bad guy can infiltrate a good crowd so we should understand the difference. the shooter is not a protester, someone trying to get things done correctly through the legal system, not a marcher like we've seen in history in selma. people who want peaceful change and rightfully so but the shooter has to be apprehended and stopped. can't have our police officers shot. >> absolutely. we're waiting to hear from chief belmar. do we know anything about the state of the investigation right now? >> right now i think the police are still trying to collect that evidence that your other guest was talking about, the idea that they are trying to comb through this area. i'v

st. louis county police officers who a veteran and the other is 32 years old from webster groves police department who's been with the department for five years. we want to bring in as much information as we can. we begin with nbc producer on the scene all night. jennifer, describe for us what you saw and what you know at this point. >> reporter: well chief bell mar describe i would echo. the protest has been going on since a little after eight and was fairly routine with chanting and back and forth and things had begun to quiet down. officers had begun to left their line although there were still about 30 officers there. we were thinking things were going to break up. there were still maybe 25 to maybe as even as 50 protests but it was quiet and we were thinking it was going to break down. it was shortly after midnight and then we heard these loud noises. three or four very loud pops and i think we all thought it was fireworks at first, at least i did. i didn't recognize it as gunfire, but the

the st. louis county police chief today saying those shots came from a hand gun and his men, quote, were shot just because they were police officers. he also spoke to who he thought was behind the shooting of the officers. >> these protesters were among the shooters that shot at the police officers. >> the protesters were among the shooters that shot at the police officer. protesters and witnesses here dispute that. we asked st. louis county police officials to clarify. a spokesman told cnn it is our belief that these protesters were spread so far out at that time that at some point, again, through our investigation to this point, they were among the shooters were among or in very close proximity to the crowd, unquote. u.s. attorney general eric holder today both condemning the violence and vowing to pour in any necessary federal resources to root out in his words, the damn punk who did this and to bring that person or persons to justice. president obama attaching his initials to an official white

the st. louis county officer was struck right here on the shoulder and the bullet came out the middle of his right back between his scapula and his spine. fortunately for both officers we don't have any remarkable long-term injuries. in other words, there wasn't in somebody's brain or heart or anything like this. any time you're shot in the face and have a bullet lodged in your head any time you have a through-and-through wound where the bullet enters your shoulder and konls out the middle of your right back those are hard hits. we're lucky, by god's grace, we didn't lose two officers last night. so one of the things that i've talked ability is that we do need to understand and we certainly understand it as a police department and as law enforcement, that we have an obligation to make sure that folks that want to express their first amendment rights have the ability to do that. but when you look at the tenor of at least some of the people that are involved in the protests or civil unrest it at time

st. louis county police officer strung in the shoulder and three two-year old officer from missouri, shot in the face. both were taken to the hospital and were conscious at that time. there were no details given about their conditions, but described only as serious. you can hear gunfire scattered the crowd at this amateur video up loaded to you stream. >> gunfire and now cops have guns drawn. >> reporter: witnesses a say demonstration outside the ferguson police department was winding down when it happen. >> we were actually all about to leave and as we were about to pack our camera up we hear what we thought were fire works. >> then i heard at least four to five shots rang out. >> reporter: gunfire struck two police officers, one in the shoulder, other in the face. paramedics headed one victim on to an ambulance to be taken to the hospital. the the demonstrations had started as a celebration police chief thomas jackson would resign but the strained relationship between the community and police

according to the st. louis county police chief, one officer was shot in the face. >> the other officer evidently shot in the shoulder. let's get right to jen for joyce for the latest. >> reporter: two police officers were shot one is the st. louis county officer the other is a webster roads police officer. st. louis county police chief john set the scene for news press conference short time ago. he said there was a protest going on roughly 60 people had gathered in the streets following the resignation of ferguson police chief thomas jackson. it was peaceful there. were no problems. but there were police officers from multiple departments on scene just to keep tabs on things. and as the protest was wrapping up, multiple shots were fired at least three according to police, and two police officers who were standing in front of the ferguson police department were struck by bullets. they are now being treated at the hospital. that's where the press conference was held a short time ago. >> i don't have an official s

i went to college in st. louisnty and i was shocked at just the huge number of municipalities that are there. there are 89 municipalities in st. louis county. you compare that with jefferson parish which is right next to new orleans, for example, and jefferson parish is much bigger and only has six municipalities and if you want -- ? why does the number of municipalities matter to you? >> well think did the duplication of services 89 different police forces 89 different town clerks 89 different mayors, et cetera, et cetera. you know i would imagine that the people in st. louis county could be saving a whole lot of money by compiling and collaborating with one another, but if you have a city like ferguson that is boasting oh we reached $2 million in tickets last year or we're having to ticket people just to keep more money into the coffers, that's suggesting that the city is existing just for its own sake and not for the sake of the people that are supposed to deserve it -- >> you bring up the money and, malik, some

one st. louis county officer was shot in the shoulder another officer, a webster groves officer, shot in the face. >> these police officers were standing there and they were shot. just because they were police officers. >> reporter: earlier police drew their guns between a scuffle between protestors. police made several arrests. some protesters cheered at the resignation of police chief tom jackson. for others it comes too little too late demanding the entire ferguson police department be disbanded. >> the chief's resignation is effective march 19th 2015. >> reporter: his resignation comes on the heels of a scathing report from the justice department slamming ferguson officials for widespread racial bias and targeting african-americans. jackson now one of the six city officials gone after the doj's damming report. some are calling for mayor knowles to be next. he says he won't budge. for now, a nationwide search for a new chief of police is underway. >>> we just got new pictures in from last night'

st. louis county police officer, in the torso and a 32 year old webster grove police officer, in the face. the officers were standing in front of the ferguson police department. officers from multiple departments were in the area, to help keep tabs on a protest. police say about 60 people had gathered, to protest the resignation of ferguson police chief, thomas jackson officials say the protest was peaceful, there had been no problems, and then, at the close of the event the shots were fired police say they don't know who fired the gun but the shooter was likely embedded in the crowd somewhere t appears police were targeted. >> i would have to make assumption right now based on the fact that these officers were standing together, a and several officers standing right there together when this happened that, you know that's correct were shots that were parallel to the ground, not up in the air weren't shots, and have to make a sum sean these shots were directed exactly at my police officers? and

that was st. louisolice chief jon belmar talking about the two police officers shot, one in the face. that bullet still lodged behind his ear. another into his shoulder through his back. both are a live and said to be doing fairly well but they have serious injuries and in the hospital right now. there is a massive manhunt. this is the number one priority of the st. louis police department obviously to find the individual or individuals who shot these officers last night while they stood in formation to protect rights of people who were protesting. former new york city mayor rudy giuliani joins me right now. your reaction? >> my reaction this is absolutely outrageous. these police officers were protecting these businesses. i have had contact with businesses in ferguson because they have opened, closed been bombarded two or three different times. they can't get insurance anymore. those police officers were there. remember, protecting largely minority businesses from being destroyed again. >> right. >> in

let's go to st. louis. sara, i want to start with you, what has the reaction been to this scathing report on the police department and the news that there will be no charges against officer wilson? >> reporter: the reaction has been fairly cam here. there's certainly disappointment about the fact that they are not going to be charging daryn wilson, officer wilson with any sort of civil rights violations. there were a few protesters out last night, about 15 or 20, a couple people detained. it has been pretty calm. there's a sadness that has sort of hung over the city and those who have been protesting and some of the residents who have been upset. but they're also encouraged. we heard the same thing in a statement from the family of michael brown who talked about being saddened about the darren

st. louis police chief says two police officers were shot around midnight at ferguson, missouri, a protest there. a 32-year-old officer and a 41-year-old officer shot in the head and the torso. a lot is happening in missouri. fox news will continue to follow this. we will take a quick break and we will be right back. >>> this is a fox news alert from new york. we are following breaking news out of ferguson missouri where there is unrest on the streets. this is following a protest that happened overnight wednesday night into thursday morning. st. louis county police chief said two officers were shot. it happened about midnight local time. he held a news conference an hour ago and i want to listen in to exactly what he had to say. >> protesters arrived in front of the ferguson police department. i was actually able to monitor that and talk to my staff about what was going on. as far as the night goes, probably 60 people, 70 people that were up there. it wasn't all that remarkable compared to some

the st. louisounty officer was struck right here on the shoulder, and the bullet came out the middle of his right back between the scapula and the spine. >> reporter: and again, tonight a community on edge as you mentioned earlier tony the st. louis county police department and highway patrol will be taking over security for ferguson. >> how is the community reacting at this point to what is going on now? >> reporter: there's a lot of frustration as there has been since last august, people keep thinking their community is returning to normal and then you have these outbreaks of violence, so they keep questioning what is going to be the new normal. earlier today michael brown's family released a statement denouncing what happened. the family said: so again, a lot of frustration here in ferguson and -- and hopes that this will be a peaceful evening. >> yeah. >> reporter: hope for the best. >> all right. diane. thank you. >>> shortly after the officers were shot st. louis county police chief said it h

agreed they elected a mayor in 2011 who then went about dismantling the city and merging it with the st. louis county administration. the mayor said st. george was nothing but a quote speed trap it was illegal immoral and policing for profit, end quote. the state representative courtney curtis says the police department should be disbanded and the nearby town of normandy should take over policing. representative ferguson is not working for you and other people but you're suggest dissolving the police department and having the police in normandy missouri which no one has heard of which to the best of my knowledge has a population of a quarter of ferguson's and yet smaller police force handle ferguson's law enforcement. that is your best suggestion representative? i shudder to think of what ideas you passed on. >> it's definitely not my best suggestion just one suggestion, given they have just taken over cool valley which borders ferguson as well. the question we have to ask will the services be delivered in the same manner they are and will we ultimately give a better quality to the residents.

at this hour st. louis county police along with missouri highway patrol officers will assume command of the security command for ferguson protests. they will remain responsible for routine policing services but will no longer take the lead during demonstrations and protests. this coming less than 24 hours after two officers were shot and wounded in ferguson. [ gunshots ] >> the two officers were shot as they stood guard in front of the ferguson police station at tend of the night of mostly peaceful protests. >> when they heard the shots and when they heard the bullets singing past they saw muzzle flashes. these muzzle flashes were probably about 125 yards away. many officers drew their weapons but no officers fired. >> both officers survived with nonlife threatening injuries. late today attorney general eric holder called the crime a heinous attack and a man hunt for the shooter or shooters is on. the head of st. louis county police saying that several people have been very forthright with investigators. sa

american and kayla reed who is with the "st. louis american" and describe that. >> well the protest was just after midnight and the protests were winding down a ndnd maybe like 50 protesters left in this parking lot, and i was at the intersection right, like right at tiffin right where the gunshots came from the top of the heel hill. i was apparently the only one filming at the time and caught the gunshots on the video. >> i am sure it was frightening for you. >> yeah. >> how did you manage to stay so calm are there. >> i didn't. that is why my video is so erratic, because i was trying to duck down in my chair, because there was nothing to hide behind and no cars to duck behind or anything. >> and you could hear somebody on the video shouting "acknowledgment nine months ago might have kept this from happening in that situation" and did you hear that? >> yes, i heard that. i don't know that -- i don't know that it had, i don't know that the shooting had nothing to do with the protesters. i don't know as far as i know. they haven't caug

i moved to st. louis and got involved with my church their and they started talking to me about these things that started with an s and ended with an s sackments. i said i don't have any of those. i went through the process and i learned what god had been calling me too all my life. i learned the beauties of my faith. i learned the body and blood was in the euricest. i became catholic april 19th 2003. 2 years later i go out on the street corners of st. louis and pass out bibles. i invite people into our church to come in and worship. i felt the call to start preaching and talking and the religious education teacher said let the spirit lead you. i started out with a hail mary and our father and i spoke about what got meant to me in our life. i was ministering to pimps, drug dealers gangbanger is. i have been able to preach all around the world. >> the people go to a mission what will they experience. what are the things they might experience? >> one of the first thing might experience is joy and excitement

also from st. louis. he was shot in the famous both officers were conscious when they were transported to the hospital but the chief did not have any suspect information and did not comment on how the officers are doing right now. he does say they have been fortunate that more incidents like this have not happened in the last seven months. >> we have seen in law enforcement that this is a very, very very dangerous environmental for the officers to work in regarding the amount of gunfire that we have experienced up there. >> reporter: it's been a very eventful day in the st. louis area. we did get word the ferguson police chief tom jackson would be resigning yesterday afternoon. that was made official right around 5:30. and that is when the protests started. protesters went to city hall and then we understand they went to ferguson police department. they were peaceful protests again, until right around midnight. and right now we're being told there is a manhunt for the suspect or suspects who did this. ann

a st. louis county officer struck in the shoulder and a webster grove police officer was struck in the face. both officers are here right now and being treated. i don't have an official status on what their condition is right now. they are conscious. >> probably 30 feet away from the crowd. all of a sudden i heard four to five shots rang out. i know that area. i know the shots came from at least over by the grassy area beyond the subway. nowhere near the protesters. i'm thinking about and trying to rebuild what happened. it took me at least 30 seconds of watching before i realized there was an officer down. when i figured that out, i think everybody figured it out at the same point. we just began to run. that was the fastest i ever run in my life before i got to my car. as i was driving away all of the cops were down on their knees with guns drawn. i could see several standing over what i think was the cop that was shot. they were lifting him away and pulling him away. >> again, the two officers

we're just learning the st. louis county police and the missouri state highway patrol will be taking over duties of patrolling the protests outside of the ferguson police department. this shooting comes at such a critical moment, for not just the city p but the movement built around black lives matter. fuelling those who already oppose what they're doing. also as the city is already reeling from a slew of resignations and firings and trying to maintain control and move itself forward. this shooting couldn't come at a worse time. >> what do we know about the group of people that the police have taken in for questioning? do we have any further information oen the number of people and who they might be? >> we don't know much at this point. just that they believe those they have taken into custody are somehow related to the shooting last night. there is still differing views on where the shots came from. some say 100 or 200 yards away. some implied they came from the group of protesters. protesters say while they were rig

area, and to understand why they say that is because st. louis is a small city, and st. louis kouncounty is made up of many cities like the city of ferguson, a & people arend what many people are saying is that it is not just a ferguson problem, because it is a municipality problem of what occurred in august. >> i want to bring in neil bruntrager and charles blow and also a community activist to come on as well. and i asked a few people to come on, but they said not until i have had a few scotches first. so the information is hitting them hard. and so jeff when you hear that there are 90% of the citations went to african-americans, and 9 393 93% of the arrests were a african-americans, and you live in the area, and what is the reaction to the justice department findings? >> well don, to me the most shocking statistic is that 100% of the police departments of the justice department investigates for pattern and practice investigations have engaged in some bad practice. i think that that would lead one to the conclusion that every police department in america engages in the

>> reporter: the st. louis county jail is holding a man who is being held on a 24-hour hold for assault against a police officer and for firing at or from a vehicle. this is related to that shooting of the two police officers outside of the ferguson police department last wednesday night. this was as the protest was coming to an end. we know that one of those officers was shot in the face the other shot in the shoulder. both of those men recovering at home but they have been working to find out who did the shooting. so there's about to be a press conference from st. louis county police where they're going to give us more information. is we'll have more information coming up. >> just being notified via twitter from the st. louis county police department that an arrest has been made and very few details even of that arrest? >> reporter: right now we're waiting to find out more in this press conference anything about who this person might be and how they were able to track him down and get a hold of him. it looks

a st. louisd, a 14-year veteran of that department and the webster grove officer is a 32 years old, a seven-year veteran on the force, both in serious condition. it appears they'll recover from this. >>> let's add on to our reporting with somebody who was there, we have an eye witness to the shooting. he flows the protests well. you've spent a lot of time there, duray. take us through it. >> yes, i heard about four shots. i was at the base of the hill. i looked over and i saw an officer fall. and i saw officers surround that officer and call for an ambulance. immediately after the shots rang out, the officers fled the officers broke the line and they immediately got behind anything they could. whether it was the wall or car. and especially into everybody drew weapons. like it was rifles machine guns every weapon was drawn. protesters were disbursing when shots were fired. people were going home it was like the end of the night. like when the shots came out. >> duray, you obviously understand why

the st. louis county police tells us at least initially many potential witnesses were reluctant to give information to investigators. ron hosco has worked with several police departments. he says the mind set for an average police officer on the streets of ferguson from this moment on is one of survival. >> reporter: how nervous are they and what are they thinking going in? >> policemen are human beings first. the first thing you're thinking of is how do i come out of this situation tonight intact? you're thinking about the person that the police officers next to you. is there a strong trusted figure among police who could bring calm. trying to tamp down tensions. will he be called on again? officials across the state are worried. >> if there are protests how are they going to keep the peace. some protesters have said in ferguson and elsewhere, police with kevlar vests and helmets with shields have been too provocative, they've come on too strong. ron hosco says now more than ever officers have to

st. louis police department spokesman. let me set the scene, last night around 8:00 p.m. a crowd of protesters gartered outside thuferguson police department. they were unhappy with more ferguson's officials that have not been released. yesterday the police chief resigned. then this crowd of protesters what we've seen since august. it was divided into two camps. you had those who were out there for their voices to be heard. and another smaller subset that was there with bad intentions. around midnight that crowd began to disperse. that's when at least three shots rang out. the police officers were standing in a group. two of them were hit and went to the ground. police are still searching for suspects. st. louis county police chief spoke earlier this morning. and said with all the gunfire there has been since august they're lucky this didn't happen sooner. >> i have said all along, that we cannot sustain this forever without problems. it's not an indictment on everybody that's out there certain

. >>> the reaction, st. louis county and missouri state police take over security in ferguson after two officers are shot. tracking technology, police keeping tabs on your cell phone. the lawsuit over privacy in california. floods and fraud. while fema says it could reopen and review every insurance claim from super storm sandy. plus deep mist. aliens, meet ors, why did these enormous craters suddenly appear appear? ♪ ♪ >>> after week of relative calm, violence returns to ferguson, missouri. a peaceful protest outside the police station was shattered by gunshots. authorities called it an ambush. two officers shot. both released from the hospital today. tonight the search intensifies for the suspects. at the same time, a city reeling from anger anguish and unrest is facing more turmoil. attorney general eric holder did not minutes words when he talked about the shooting today. he called it disgusting and a courtly a action. >> what happened last night was a pure ambush. this was not someone trying to bring healing

a 41-year-old from st. louiswas shot in the shoulder both being treated at a local hospital there. they have serious injuries, but authorities there are saying that they were conscious after the shooting. now, this shooting happened around midnight central time. after dozens of protesters had gathered outside the ferguson police department. it started as a peaceful protest. in fact it was starting to break up when those shots were fired. >> it's up the street. a cop got shot. >> witnesses say three shots -- witnesses say three shots were fired. this video was posted to twitter just moments after the shooting. people dropping to the ground there after hearing the gunshots. now, police are saying they believe the shooter was embedded with the protesters. some of the social media users were saying the shots came from 500 yards away on a hill. the protesters had gathered there actually to celebrate the resignation of ferguson's police chief, thomas jackson. he resigned yesterday. he's the sixth employee to resign or

the incident unfolded in st. louis county police department offices were confronting protesters shortly after midnight. it took place hours after the resignation of the police chief. ksdk affiliate has more. >> we know the two officers work for who were shot just after midnight early this morning. to set is scene a little bit there was demonstrations throughout the night last night and early into this morning. they were still here on the scene outside the ferguson police department. police were in their full gear working the scene protecting the perimeter of the police department. we're told there were a couple of arrests, a couple of tense moments back and forth but at the same time relatively speaking people who were here say things seemed calm when at least three shots rang out. that's according to st. louis police. there was a 41-year-old, 14 year veteran of the police department and a 32 five year veteran. both officers were county. the county officer was hit in the shoulder and the other in the face. both have be

foles is reportedly headed to the st. louisgles will get rams' qb sam bradford. draft picks are also involved but details of the deal are still being worked out. foles is 14-5 as eagles' starting qb. our colleagues at comcast sportsnet working on breaking developments. we'll have complete coverage ahead on "nbc10 news" at 6:00. >>> fire crews briefly evacuated a building because there was a gas odor in the air. sky force 10 over the scene in philadelphia's logan neighborhood. pgw crews arrived on north fifth street trying to figure out whether a gas main broke. firefighters evacuated about 0 people from the building just as a precaution. everyone was allowed back inside after about five minutes. >>> from our south jersey bureau authorities have filed charges in connection with this school bus crash. they say jeremy sharon rear-ended the bus yesterday afternoon along main street and lumberton he's charged with careless driving. the impact sent the bus onto its side. one student had minor injuries. >>> new at 5:00 -- a beating ca

the st. louis post dispatch reports that two poem have been taken away. a third may still be inside but maybe for not much longer. check out these officers breaking through the roof of that home. much more on this ongoing operation in just a moment. earlier in a news conference you may have seen live here on cnn, the st. louis county police chief said his quote, number one priority, end quote is finding whoever opened fire on a line of police officers guarding the ferguson police headquarters during a tense night of protests. protestors claim either to celebrate the resignation of the ferguson police chief or to demand the entire department be disbanded or perhaps even both. the chief now estimates about 125 yards. he is calling it an ambush and says the weapon appears to have been a handgun. i want to show you cell phone video that went out live online. [ gunshots ] [ bleep ] [ screaming ] >> would have kept that from happening. oh [ bleep ]. okay. there was just gunfire and now cops have guns dra

he traded his starting quarterback nick foles to the st. louiss for their start starting quarterback eagles got the 20,101st overall pick in the draft that would be sam bradford. that year bradford won the rookie of the year award with the rams. one of the eagles coaches nose bradford well. that would be pat shurmer who was the offensive coordinator with the rams when bradford came in the league. i would think he had some input on the info for chip. there are conflicting reports but no eagles did not they did not nip first round picks with the rams as the nfl network reported. there may be a conditional pick coming to the eagles. now running back frank gore remember him did change his mind officially today. he signed a three-year deal with the indianapolis colts for almost the same money the eagles deal were have been here in philadelphia. and not good news for cliff lee. all right. it's confirmed that cliff lee has a torn tend in his left elbow. he will not have surgery because that would be probably end the season and his career. and had try to

st. louis county police are handling security related to any protest while ferguson police are in charge of routine police operations. the looming question is how this community goes forward given all that's happened since last summer. sara sidner spoke with the mayor. she joins me now live from ferguson. what's the latest in the investigation? >> reporter: there is a $10,000 reward. we know that the trail has not gone cold according to the st. louis county police who are investigating this. that they do not have anyone in custody, but they do have several leads. that is the very latest that we have heard from st. louis county investigators. we also want to talk to you about what's happening in ferguson and who was actually in charge after the fallout from the doj report. the leadership shake-up in ferguson is vast. but protest groups want to see even more heads roll. >> the mayor needs to resign as well. the leaders in this community knew what was going on. he knew what was going on under his