Man Shot by Ferguson Police Charged With Assault

This afternoon brings no sign of a letup in tension in Ferguson: The St. Louis County executive has declared a state of emergency, the man critically wounded by police officers last night has been charged with assault, and about 50 protesters were arrested at a federal courthouse in St. Louis. The state of emergency declared by Steve Stenger means that County Police Chief Jon Belmar is now in charge of security in Ferguson, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "The recent acts of violence will not be tolerated in a community that has worked so tirelessly over the last year to rebuild and become stronger," Stenger said.

The move came as protesters got past a police barricade and into the Thomas F. Eagleton Federal Courthouse, where they sat down and linked arms as police began making arrests. Meanwhile, prosecutors charged Tyrone Harris, 18, with four counts of first-degree assault, five counts of armed criminal action, and one count of firing at a motor vehicle, reports CNN. Harris remains in critical condition. Police say they shot him after he opened fire on them with a stolen handgun during last night's Michael Brown protests. (More Ferguson, Missouri stories.)