St. Louis Police Condemn Presence of Armed ''Oath Keepers' at Ferguson Protests

St. Louis' police department has condemned the presence of "Oath Keepers" who reportedly stand armed in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri during recent protests.

The four heavily armed men, all Caucasian, have reportedly stood armed with rifles and bulletproof vests in the predominately African American neighborhoods of Ferguson since protests became violent this past Sunday.

The group has identified itself as being members of the "Oath Keepers," although they have given little more information as to the nature of their presence at the protests.

One member of the armed group reportedly told reporters that he and others were there to protect a journalist from InfoWars.com, a conservative media outlet.

St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar has condemned the men's presence in Ferguson, saying their decision to be armed does not help with the peace process.

"Their presence was both unnecessary and inflammatory," Belmar told reporters recently.

The local NBC KSDK station filmed one interaction between protesters and members of the Oath Keepers, asking the group why they felt the need to arm themselves at the protests.

"I'm happy that we're able to defend ourselves," one Oath Keeper responded. "It's been our right for a long time."

Protesters have gathered in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri on the one year anniversary of the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was killed during an incident with Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson in 2014.

While the protests have remained mostly peaceful, they turned violent Sunday when an 18-year-old suspect allegedly opened fire on police officers, who returned fire, causing him to be in critical condition at a nearby hospital.