FLORISSANT, Mo. — A man who was protesting outside the Florissant Police Department accidentally shot himself Tuesday night, police confirmed.
Florissant police said the man has been known to protest in front of police headquarters and has been seen carrying a long rifle.
Tuesday evening, they said he accidentally pulled the trigger and shot himself in the foot. This happened “within close proximity of officers,” police said.
Officers who were on the scene immediately helped him and applied first aid measures. The man was rushed to a nearby hospital and is expected to recover, police said.
No officers fired shots.
Protesters have been gathering outside the Florissant Police Department for several weeks now ever since a video surfaced showing an officer hitting a man with his unmarked police SUV.
The officer, Joshua Smith, has been charged with first-degree assault, armed criminal action and fourth-degree assault.
READ MORE: Fired Florissant police officer charged after video showed him hitting man with police SUV
Florissant police said protesters have progressively become more confrontational since the protests started.
A video was posted to Twitter Friday night showing protesters clashing with police. Three people were arrested Friday after protesters started throwing objects, causing “extensive” damage to the police department building.
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