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Police Announce Arrest in Shooting of Officers in Ferguson

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Updated: | Originally published: ;

Authorities in St. Louis announced Sunday afternoon that an arrest had been made in connection with last week’s shooting of two police officers outside the Ferguson police department.

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch said in a news conference that charges were filed against a 20-year-old man, Jeffrey Williams. McCulloch added that Williams admitted to firing the shots but claimed to have been firing at others, not the officers.

Among the charges are two counts of first-degree assault, one count of firing a weapon from a vehicle and three counts of armed criminal action, McCulloch said. Williams is being held on $300,000 bond.

Two officers were wounded shortly after midnight Thursday morning near the end of a protest that followed the resignation of police chief Thomas Jackson, which came in the wake of a scathing Justice Department report that found rampant racial bias in the Ferguson police department.

An officer from Webster Groves, 32, was struck in the cheek while working a security line outside the department while another officer from St. Louis County, 41, was hit in the shoulder, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Both were released from a hospital later that morning.

The attack had been described as an “ambush” by St. Louis County police chief Jon Belmar, and Attorney General Eric Holder later called the gunman a “damn punk.”

The St. Louis suburb has been a national focus since Aug. 9, when unarmed black teenager Michael Brown was shot and killed by white police officer Darren Wilson.

Read next: The Road from Selma to Ferguson

Witness the Aftermath of 2 Police Shot in Ferguson

Police officers stand on alert during a protests outside the Ferguson Police Department on March 11, 2015 in Ferguson, Mo.
Police officers stand on alert during a protests outside the Ferguson Police Department on March 11, 2015 in Ferguson, Mo. Michael B. Thomas—Getty Images
A protester chants in front of a flag which reads, "Racism lives here", outside the City of Ferguson Police Department and Municipal Court in Ferguson, March 11, 2015.
A protester chants in front of a flag which reads, "Racism lives here", outside the City of Ferguson Police Department and Municipal Court in Ferguson, March 11, 2015.Kate Munsch—Reuters
Police arrests a protestor outside the City of Ferguson Police Department and Municipal Court in Ferguson, March 11, 2015.
Police arrests a protestor outside the City of Ferguson Police Department and Municipal Court in Ferguson, March 11, 2015.Kate Munsch—Reuters
Protestors hold signs during a protest outside the Ferguson Police Department on March11, 2015 in Ferguson.
Protestors hold signs during a protest outside the Ferguson Police Department on March 11, 2015 in Ferguson.Michael B. Thomas—Getty Images
Police officers respond to a fellow officer hit by gunfire outside the Ferguson Police Headquarters in Ferguson
Police officers respond to a fellow officer hit by gunfire outside the Ferguson Police Headquarters in Ferguson, Mo. on March 12, 2014.Lawrence Bryant—St. Louis American/Reuters
Two officers shot
Police take cover after two officers were shot while standing guard in front of the Ferguson Police Station on Thursday, March 12, 2015. Laurie Skrivan—AP
Police mobilize in the parking lot of the Ferguson Police Station after two police officers were shot while standing guard in front of the Ferguson Police Station, March 12, 2015.
Police mobilize in the parking lot of the Ferguson Police Station after two police officers were shot while standing guard in front of the Ferguson Police Station, March 12, 2015. Laurie Skrivan—St Louis Post Dispatch/Polaris
Paramedics load one of two police officer who were shot while standing guard in front of the Ferguson Police Station during a protest on March 12, 2015.
Paramedics load one of two police officer who were shot while standing guard in front of the Ferguson Police Station during a protest on March 12, 2015. Laurie Skrivan—St Louis Post Dispatch/Polaris
APTOPIX Killings by Police Ferguson
Police shine a light on a helmet as they investigate the scene where two police officers were shot outside the Ferguson Police Department Thursday, March 12, 2015, in Ferguson, Mo.Jeff Roberson—AP
Police guard the corner off Adams Street and South Florissant Rd after two officers were shot while standing guard in front of the Ferguson Police Station on March 12, 2015.
Police guard the corner off Adams Street and South Florissant Rd after two officers were shot while standing guard in front of the Ferguson Police Station on March 12, 2015. Laurie Skrivan—St Louis Post Dispatch/Polaris

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Write to Justin Worland at justin.worland@time.com