Chicago, March 13 (IANS): Approximately 200 protesters gathered near the Ferguson police department in the US state of Missouri singing songs such as "love" or chanting slogans including "Stop racism", after the shooting of two police officers.

A group of protesters gathered at a public plaza near the police department on Thursday night for a vigil, candles in hand, Xinhua news agency reported. Some said they were praying for the police officers and peace in the community.

On the other side, some protesters were chanting slogans such as "No justice, no peace", as a group of St. Louis county policemen walked through the protesters, with several holding the banner "Justice for Michael". Michael Brown is the name of the black and unarmed 18-year-old shot dead on August 9 last year by a white police officer in Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis city.

The shootings of two police officers took place early Thursday outside Ferguson police headquarters during a protest that followed the resignation of Ferguson police chief Tom Jackson.

A huge manhunt for the gunman continues in town.

A St. Louis county police officer was shot in the shoulder and another police officer from the St. Louis suburb of Webster Groves was shot in the face. Both officers were released from the hospital on Thursday.

Three or four shots were fired at a group of police personnel from about 125 meters away, according to St. Louis county police chief Jon Belmar. He called the shooting an "ambush".