© Robert CohenSt. Louis Police Chief John Hayden speaks to media about the shooting of four police officers on June 2, 2020.
Four police officers were shot in downtown St. Louis early Tuesday as
a day of peaceful protests turned into a violent and destructive night in the city.Hundreds of people had gathered across the St. Louis region Monday to protest the Memorial Day death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. A rally in O'Fallon, Missouri, drew upward of 2,000 people and featured marchers walking arm-in-arm with police officers.
But tensions rose after the sun fell in downtown St. Louis.
Just after midnight, four officers, all men, were shot near 16th and Olive streets. All four were conscious and authorities said their injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.
"I believe
some coward randomly shot at the police line," St. Louis police Chief John Hayden said.
Hayden held a news conference about 1:45 a.m. and said two officers were shot in the leg, one was shot in the foot and one more was shot in the arm.
An exasperated Hayden said he was trying to make sense of the night's "mayhem."
"I don't know what else to say," Hayden said. "This is horrible."
Comment: Not the first time. Won't be the last.