The suspect accused of firing on police during protests in strife-torn Ferguson, Missouri, over the weekend was caught on video drawing a pistol from his pants.
Tyrone Harris, 18, was shot by police and is in critical condition. He has been charged with four counts of assault on law enforcement, five counts of armed criminal action, and one count of shooting at a vehicle. Bond for Harris was set at $250,000.
The incident occurred on Sunday in the St. Louis suburb where largely peaceful demonstrations over police shootings of unarmed black men have been punctuated by violence.
The 13-second video taken from a surveillance camera at an insurance agency shows a group of people milling about during Sunday night's protests marking the one-year anniversary of the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by a white police officer.
During the video, shots are fired and a young man can be seen brandishing what looks like a pistol.
St. Louis County Police said: "The video shows Harris grab a handgun out of his waistband once shots are fired during the protest in the West Florissant corridor."
Harris's father said his son did not have a gun.
"He was running for his ... life because someone was shooting at him," Tyrone Harris, Sr. said in a telephone interview from his St. Louis-area home before the video was released.
According to St. Louis city court records, the younger Harris was free on bail awaiting trial on charges of stealing a motor vehicle, theft of a firearm and resisting arrest.
A state of emergency that was declared on Monday for the Ferguson area was still in effect on Tuesday. Protesters have been marching and staging acts of civil disobedience to mark the anniversary of the death of Brown, 18.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.