FERGUSON, Missouri, was again wracked by violence in the early hours of today, with two people shot and 31 arrested following the US police killing of unarmed black man Michael Brown.

The freshly deployed National Guard kept its distance as police rained flash grenades and tear gas on demonstrators fed up with racial tensions across the US.

Police lifted the curfew that had failed to limit protests over the weekend but insisted that people were not allowed to stay in a single spot.

At least three journalists were arrested while trying to cover the demonstrations, allegedly for failing to follow police instructions to leave.

The fresh clashes came the day after Mr Brown’s family released preliminary results of a private autopsy into his death.

Dr Michael Baden said that there “weren’t signs of a struggle” on Mr Brown’s body and that he appeared to have been shot six times while trying to surrender to officer Darren Wilson.

Police claim that Mr Brown assaulted Mr Wilson after being told to walk with his friend on the pavement rather than a road.

Family attorney Daryl Parks argued that the autopsy showed Mr Brown had been killed while bowing his head, as the fatal shot went “back to front” through his skull.

Another injury to his right arm appeared to indicate that his arm had been raised or that his back was turned as the shots were fired.

That backs up witness statements that he had his arms raised when he was killed.

Police said he was charging at Mr Wilson.