Jeffrey Williams Charged In Shooting Of Two St. Louis County Police Officers

St. Louis County District Attorney Robert McCulloch speaks at a press conference about an arrest in connection with the shooting at the Ferguson Police Department last Thursday night that left two police officers wounded, in Clayton, Missouri, March 15, 2015. REUTERS/Kate Munsch

Jeffrey Williams, 20, was arrested Saturday night and charged in the shooting of two St. Louis County police officers Thursday, county officials announced Sunday. St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch said during the afternoon press conference that Williams faces two counts of assault in the first degree, three counts of armed criminal action and firing a weapon from a vehicle.

St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar told reporters last week at a news conference that a 41-year-old officer from St. Louis County was shot in the shoulder around midnight local time, while a 32-year-old officer from Webster Groves, a St. Louis suburb, was shot in the face. Both victims were taken to a local hospital and subsequently released.

Williams, who is currently being held on $300,000 cash bond, attended several demonstrations in Ferguson, Mo., since the justified shooting of Michael Brown. He told police that he fired shots at someone he had a dispute with, and accidentally hit the officers. McCulloch said his story is being investigated, but the .40-caliber handgun that matches the shell casings recovered at the scene of the officers’ shootings was found in Williams’ residence, which police searched after obtaining a warrant based on information received from the public.