St. Louis, Mo. – After midnight Thursday, two officers were shot during a protest held outside of the police department in Ferguson, Missouri.

At a news conference following the shooting, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said that both officers were taken to the hospital, and are conscious. He said that their injuries were “very serious,” but stated no further details.

Sgt. Brian Schellman, a spokesman for the St. Louis County police, released a statement saying that after one officer, from the St. Louis County Police Department, was shot in the shoulder, and another officer from the suburban Webster Groves department, was shot in the face, both were in serious condition, but their injuries were not life threatening.

“I don’t know who did the shooting, to be honest with you,” Belmar said. He added that based on the path of the bullets, he believed “these shots were directed exactly at my officers.”

The Associated Press reported that the protesters gathered on Wednesday night following the resignation of Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson, who resigned in the wake of a scathing report that revealed the police department in Ferguson exercised discrimination against the black community.

 

March 12, 2015, 10: 10 a.m. Eastern: UPDATE: On Thursday morning at a press conference regarding the shooting, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said there were about 150 protesters gathered outside of the police department and 70 officers on the scene.

Belmar said that the muzzle flashes from the suspect’s gun came from about 125 yards away. He stated that the police department has some leads on who the suspects in the shooting are, but there is no one currently in custody.

 

March 12, 2015, 1:50 p.m. Eastern: UPDATE: The St. Louis County Police posted an update on its Facebook page, verifying that while both officers were in serious condition when they arrived at Barnes Jewish Hospital, they have been released.