One person was shot and seven people were arrested as police battled to impose a curfew in the riot-hit US town of Ferguson today, one week after the racially-charged shooting of an unarmed black teenager.
Police in the strife-torn Missouri community said the shooting victim was in critical condition after being shot by an unidentified attacker.
The incident came as police used smoke bombs and tear gar to disperse around 200 demonstrators who had defied a curfew imposed by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon.
Violence has flared since the shooting death of Michael Brown on August 9 by a white police officer which has renewed a national debate about law enforcement and African Americans.
Police in Ferguson also drew criticism for facing down protesters in military-grade armored trucks while brandishing high-powered weapons.
Nixon told CNN today that tensions in Ferguson were likely to remain high, citing the community response as "raw and appropriate."
"This is a horrific shooting, we're not to justice yet and there will be moments of energy and angst over the coming days and weeks," he told CNN's "State of the Union".
Nixon had declared a state of emergency and a curfew starting at midnight yesterday until 5:00 am for the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, after looting and violence overnight Friday to Saturday.
The governor said he would decide later today whether the curfew would continue.
The latest violence began when riot police moved to break up a crowd of protesters who had gathered near where Brown was killed.
Missouri Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson, the African-American officer Nixon put in charge of restoring peace in Ferguson, said police acted after receiving reports of a shooting and that armed individuals had broken into a restaurant.
"We have a shooting victim in critical condition that may lose her life," said Johnson, speaking to reporters around 3:50 am.
"We had a subject standing in the middle of the road with a handgun. We had a police car shot at tonight. And, yes, I think that was a proper response tonight, to maintain officer safety and public safety."
Seven people were arrested for failing to disperse, he said.
Antonio French, an area politician who was with the protesters when police moved in, wrote that some were ready for violence.
