Gunfire heard as police scatter Missouri shooting protesters

Autopsy finds unarmed US teen shot six times

Curfew re-imposed in Missouri city after police shooting

FEDERAL AUTOPSY, INVESTIGATION

Earlier on Sunday, US Attorney General Eric Holder ordered a federal autopsy of Brown's body, seeking to assure the family and community there will be a thorough investigation.

Police say Brown was asked by Wilson to move off the road and onto a sidewalk and that Brown reached into a patrol car and struggled with Wilson for his service gun and was shot.

A friend of Brown's, Dorian Johnson, 22, and at least one other witness said Wilson reached out through his car window to grab at Brown and the teenager was trying to get away when shot. Brown held up his hands in a sign of surrender but Wilson got out of his patrol car and shot Brown several times, they said.

A preliminary private autopsy, asked for by Brown's family, shows the teenager was shot at least six times, the New York Times reported on Sunday night.

Citing Dr. Michael M. Baden, former chief medical examiner for the City of New York, the newspaper reported that Brown was shot twice in the head, and that the bullets that hit him did not appear to have been fired from very close range because no gunpowder was detected on his body.

That conclusion could change, however, if gunshot residue is found on Brown's clothing, the newspaper said.

Police in Ferguson have come under strong criticism for Brown's death and their handling of the aftermath.

Johnson, the Highway Patrol captain charged with restoring order, told hundreds of people at a local church for a rally on Sunday he was committed to protecting their right to protest.

"I'm sorry," Johnson, who is black, told Brown's family during remarks that prompted repeated standing ovations at the rally. "My heart is heavy."

The mood at the rally was somber as a choir sang gospel music at Greater Grace Church. Rev. Al Sharpton, the civil rights activist, asked participants to join hands and prepare themselves for difficult days ahead.

In St. Louis on Sunday, about 125 people attended a rally in support of officer Wilson, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said. Protesters held signs that read, "We love and support you Darren" and "Support our police. Pray for peace."

Police also used smoke canisters and tear gas on Saturday to disperse protesters who refused to leave the area when the midnight-to-5 a.m. curfew began. Seven protesters were arrested after failing to disperse.

Nixon, a Democrat, criticized Ferguson police for releasing a video on Friday purporting to show Brown taking part in a convenience store robbery shortly before the shooting. Police have said the officer who shot Brown had no idea he was a robbery suspect.

As disturbances continued in Missouri, 500 people protested outside police headquarters in Los Angeles on Sunday over the shooting death of an unarmed black man in California a week ago.

That rally was peaceful, with many holding up signs reading, "Hands up, don't shoot," in reference to witness reports that Brown had his hands up when he was shot in Ferguson.

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