The man accused of shooting two Ferguson police officers during a protest rally outside the Ferguson, Missouri police headquarters was allegedly beaten while he was taken into custody.
Jeffrey Williams, 20, had bruises across his back and neck, a welt on his head, and a mark on his face his lawyer claimed. Police are calling the allegations completely false, even though a mugshot of Williams was released on Sunday and showed several cuts bruises on his face. At this time it is unclear if these injuries were a result of the beating Williams claims he suffered at the hands of the police.
Jerryl Christmas, the lawyer representing Williams, says that he met with Williams for two hours on Monday but was not allowed to take pictures of his client. Williams appeared in court on Monday without the counsel of his lawyer and did not enter into a plea deal. He has been charged with two counts of first-degree assault, one count of firing a weapon from a vehicle, and three counts of criminal action. If convicted, Williams can serve 10 to 30 years in prison or up to life in prison.
St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch announced Williams arrest on Sunday and told reporters that Williams admitted to firing the shots that wounded the officers but he claimed that he was not shooting at police.
The shooting is just the latest violent incident occurring in Ferguson, Missouri following the shooting death of unarmed black teen Michael Brown by former police officer Darren Wilson. Weeks of protest, both peaceful and violent, followed the death of Brown after a grand jury decided not to bring charges against Wilson.
