Midday Roundup: Another shooting as St. Louis protests continue

Clashes continue. Police in Ferguson, Mo., a St. Louis suburb, shot and critically wounded another African-American man early Wednesday morning during another night of unrest. Rioters have torched and looted businesses and protesters have clashed with police since an officer shot and killed an unarmed 18-year-old who was walking home Saturday. The man shot Wednesday allegedly pulled a gun on officers who approached a group of men after getting a report of shots fired in the area. Officials have declined to release the name of the officer who shot teenager Michael Brown, saying they are taking seriously death threats against him. Two witnesses claim the officer shot Brown while he was trying to surrender. Police have not released their version of events, which cannot be corroborated by any video footage. Brown’s parents have called for calm, as has President Barack Obama. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon attended a community forum Tuesday night and said the shooting feels “like an old wound torn fresh.”

TV script rewrite? Edward Snowden’s latest revelations about National Security Agency programs sound like they came straight out of a James Bond movie or the script of the popular television show Person of Interest. In an interview with Wired magazine, Snowden claims the NSA is developing a program called “MonsterMind” that can hunt down potential computer attacks and strike back. (Kudos to the agency for coming up with a better name for the program than POI’s “The Machine.”) As smart as that makes the program sound, Snowden says it’s not smart enough to trace attacks to their origin. Hackers routing their work through computers in other countries to hide their location could put those countries at risk of U.S. retaliation. The program could end up accidentally starting a war, Snowden warns. Although the former NSA contractor-turned-leaker, now a wanted man, gained permission to stay in Russia for three more years, he appears on the cover of WIRED tenderly clutching an American flag. U.S. officials say he should stop hiding in Moscow and face a jury of his peers at home.

Unintended consequences. Another journalist has died covering conflict in the Middle East, this time in Gaza. Associated Press videographer Simone Camilli and his translator, Ali Shehda Abu Afash, died when a bomb went off while Gazan police engineers were trying to disarm it. Three police officers also died, and AP photographer Hatem Moussa was badly injured. Camilli, an Italian national, was 35. Abu Afash, 36, leaves behind a wife and two young daughters in Gaza.

A star fades. Legendary actress Lauren Bacall died Tuesday at a hospital in New York. She was 89. Bacall rocketed to stardom for her sultry movie roles alongside Hollywood’s leading men, including her husband, Humphrey Bogart. Bacall was just 19 when she appeared with Bogart in To Have and Have Not in 1944. The two married the next year and starred in other popular films together. They remained Hollywood’s power couple until Bogart’s death in 1957. Bacall was nominated but never won an Academy Award. She received two Tony awards for her work on Broadway.

Accomplice? Siri, iPhone’s personal-assistant software, is testifying against a Florida man accused of killing his roommate and hiding his body in a forest. After allegedly killing University of Florida student Christian Aguilar in a fit of jealousy, Pedro Bravo told Siri, “I need to hide my roommate,” according to prosecutors. The electronic concierge was apparently happy to help. According to screen grabs presented in court yesterday, Siri gave Bravo a list of options: swamps, reservoirs, metal foundries, and dumps. No word on why he allegedly chose a forest instead or on whether Siri is getting immunity for testifying.