Police have arrested and charged a man in St. Louis, Missouri in connection with the shooting of two Ferguson police officers during last week's protests.

Jeffrey Williams, 20, was arrested late Saturday and is now facing charges of two counts of first degree assault, firing a weapon from a vehicle and three counts of armed criminal activity.

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Two police officers were shot Wednesday night during a protest in front of the Ferguson Police Department Headquarters following the announcement of the resignation of the Ferguson police chief. One was shot in the face, the other in the shoulder.  They were released from the hospital on Thursday.

"The demonstrations were pretty much over (when the officers were shot)," St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch said in a news conference following the filing of charges against Williams. "People were leaving, and that's when this happened."

McCulloch told reporters Williams admitted firing the shots but denied he targeted the police officers.

Williams claimed he opened fire after a dispute with other individuals. "It's possible he was firing at someone else," McCullogh said, as he urged any witness to come forward to shed light on the issue.

McCulloch thanked the public for providing the information that led to Williams's arrest. He described Williams as a protester who repeatedly took part in several demonstrations in Ferguson. But protesters denied their group was involved in the shooting, adding that the demonstration was an organized movement.

Antonio French, a St. Louis alderman said those who got violent were "in no way" representing the thousands of people participating in the protest.

Authorities also revealed that Williams has an outstanding warrant for another case at the time of his arrest. He was on probation for receiving stolen property and the warrant was issued against him for not reporting to his probation officer for several months.

A .40-caliber pistol was also seized from Williams's residence. The weapon matched the shell casings earlier recovered at the crime scene.

McCulloch said Williams is being held on a US$300,000 cash bond, and that he could face more charges as the investigation progresses. He hinted that more people could be charged as well.

A US$10,000 reward was earlier offered for any information that would lead to the arrest of the suspect.  McCulloch said the tipster is eligible to receive the reward.

Protests --- some were violent ones --- often erupt in Ferguson after an African-American teen had been shot and killed in August by members of the police force. The department had been under fire for its alleged bias against African-Americans in the city.

A recent Justice Department reports which documented a pattern of racial discrimination among members of the police and court employees, led to the resignation and firings of key police and court officials in Ferguson in recent weeks.

TagsFerguson, Ferguson Police, Ferguson shooting, Jeffrey Williams