Chief: 2 officers shot in Ferguson were 'ambushed'

The two police officers who were shot outside the Ferguson Police Department during a late-night demonstration were ambushed and "lucky" to be alive, the police chief of St. Louis County said Thursday, but he called for a "measured response" by officers to a community roiled by unrest.

"We were lucky by God's grace that we didn't lose two officers last night," Police Chief Jon Belmar told reporters. "We could have buried two police officers over this. ... It's a miracle we haven't had any instances similar to this in the summer and fall."

The two officers "took a very hard hit," he said. They were admitted to the hospital in serious condition, but were released late morning on Thurs