George Floyd death: Trump threatens to send in army to end unrest

President Donald Trump has threatened to send in the military to quell growing civil unrest in the US over the death of a black man in police custody.

He said if cities and states failed to control the protests and "defend their residents" he would deploy the army and "quickly solve the problem for them".

Protests over the death of George Floyd have escalated over the past week.

Four police meanwhile were shot and injured on Monday night during unrest in St Louis, Missouri.

Police chief Colonel John Hayden Junior told reporters "some coward fired shots at officers and now we have four in hospital. Thank God they're alive," before becoming overcome with emotion.

Protests have so far swept more than 75 cities.

Dozens of major cities have imposed overnight curfews.

In New York on Monday night, the iconic department store Macy's was broken into, as shops were looted and windows smashed. Curfew in the city will resume at 20:00 (midnight GMT) on Tuesday.

In Chicago, two people were reported killed amid unrest, although the circumstances are unclear.

The chief of police in Louisville, Kentucky has been sacked after law enforcement officers fired into a crowd on Sunday night, killing the owner of a nearby business.