Rioting and looting broke out in a St. Louis suburb Sunday night following protests over the fatal police shooting of an unarmed African American teen.
The demonstration and candlelight vigil turned ugly in Ferguson, Mo., as two officers were injured and 32 people arrested, authorities told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Authorities also said officers and a police helicopter were fired upon during Sunday night’s frenzy, but no one was hit.
Protesters were demanding action against police who shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown on Saturday night during a scuffle with officers.
Brown was supposed to begin classes at a technical college on Monday.
Emotions boiled over Sunday night when angry protesters looted a check-cashing store, a sporting good store, a cell phone retailer, a tire and automotive shop and a small grocery store.
Riots set fire to that QuickTrip grocery store.
“It breaks my heart, last night was the worst night of my life,” Ferguson police chief Tom Jackson told CNN on Monday.
“I’ve never seen anything like it and I hope that I never see anything like it again.”
Jackson spoke as peaceful protesters marched back and forth in front of police headquarters, as cops in riot gear kept a watchful eye.
Many of the protesters walked with their hands up, chanting: “Don’t shoot.”
Outside agencies, the FBI and St. Louis County Police Department, will lead separate probes into Saturday night’s shooting, officials said.
Ferguson Mayor James Knowles blamed hooligans who live outside of his town — about 12 miles northwest of St. Louis — for Sunday night’s unrest.
“The small group of people are creating a huge mess,” Knowles said. “Contributing to the unrest that is going on is not going to help. We’re only hurting ourselves, only hurting our community, hurting our neighbors.”
DeAndre Smith, a 30-year-old Ferguson resident who moved from New York in December, said he understood why rioters acted the way they did.
“This is exactly what is supposed to be happening when an injustice is happening in your community,” Smith said. “You have kids getting killed for nothing.”
Smith predicted there’d be more bad scenes like Sunday night to come.
“I don’t think it’s over honestly,” he said. “I just think they got a taste of what fighting back means.”
Another Ferguson resident Deanel Trout, 53, blamed troublemakers from out of town for Sunday’s violence.
“Most came here for a peaceful protest but it takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch,” said Trout, a 14-year Ferguson resident. “I can understand the anger and unrest but I can’t understand the violence and looting.”
Protesters on Sunday also marched on the Ferguson Police Department and chanted: “Don’t shoot me!”
Brown’s mom Lesley McSpadden said cops could have controlled her son without using lethal force.
“I would like to see him go to jail with the death penalty,” the tearful, grieving mom said.
The St. Louis County Police Department is leading the probe into Saturday night’s shooting.
Middle school English teacher Leonette Hilliard visited the burned remains of QuikTrip on Monday and taped a note the wall: “Corporate neighbor: I am sorry this act of robbery and violence has happened. Please return soon.”
Hilliard’s note, written on a school folder, was taped over graffiti that said. “187 county police.” The slang term “187” is a reference to murder.