Two shot in Ferguson in new protests over Baltimore

At least two people were shot in separate incidents in Ferguson, Missouri, on Wednesday as hundreds of demonstrators gathered in support of protests in Baltimore over the police custody death of a black man.

"Police are having a difficult time investigating because of the rocks being thrown at them," Jeff Small, a spokesman for the city of Ferguson, was quoted as saying by CNN.

"At this point, police are not sure if the (shootings are) linked to the protest or not."

No details were released on the conditions of those shot. Several fires were set and gunshots could be heard at the protest site, another report said.

St. Louis Alderman Antonio French posted a video on his Twitter account, CNN said. Multiple gunshots could be heard as people fled in panic.

Demonstrators set a portable toilet on fire. One person is seen squirting what appears to be lighter fluid on it.

Ferguson witnessed widespread rioting after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer on August 9, 2014.

Many Indian-American stores were looted in the small town of 22,000 people, nearly 70 percent of them black, but all but four of its 53-strong police force are white.

The renewed tensions in Ferguson follow rioting in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray, 25, who was arrested by police on April 12 and died a week later from a fatal spinal cord injury.