AP / Press Association Images A protester yells at police outside the Ferguson Police Department AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

Updated 12 March, 7am

TWO OFFICERS HAVE been shot during protests near the police department in Ferguson.

AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

The St Louis County Police Department confirmed the shooting in the past hour:

Following this tweet, it said that one St Louis County PD officer and one Webster Grovers officer were shot.

A video has emerged that purportedly shows the moment the shooting took place.

While the footage isn’t clear, the audio on this video may be disturbing to listen to.

Whoops!

We couldn't find this Tweet

AFP reports that the St Louis Post, a local newspaper in the area, said witnesses reported hearing two to four shots, and that police had been confronting protesters at the time.

AP reports that St Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said one officer was shot in the face, and another shot in the shoulder.

Whoops!

We couldn't find this Tweet

The shooting came hours after the Ferguson police chief, Thomas Jackson, resigned.

This itself came a week after a US Justice Department report into the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by one of Jackson’s officers.

AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

Brown was shot seven months ago by white police officer Darren Wilson. The shooting ignited fierce protests not just in the town, but across America.

In a brief statement, the City of Ferguson confirmed it had agreed “a mutual separation” with Jackson that would see him get severance pay and health insurance for a year.

AP / Press Association Images Police and protesters square off outside the Ferguson Police Department AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

The Justice Department said last Wednesday said it lacked sufficient evidence to prosecute Wilson on federal civil rights charges over the death of Brown.

But it faulted Ferguson’s city hall, police department and municipal court for racial bias in targeting its African-American majority as a means to generate revenue.

Brown’s family has indicated it intends to file a civil lawsuit against Ferguson and Wilson.

Jackson was the fifth Ferguson official to resign in the wake of the Justice Department’s findings.

A grand jury in November chose not to indict Wilson on murder or manslaughter charges, which reigniting protests in Ferguson.

Additional reporting - © AFP, 2015

Read: Two Australian drug smugglers are to be executed by firing squad