The officers have been taken to hospital and their injuries are not thought to be life threatening, St Louis Metropolitan Police Department said. They tweeted: “We have had 4 officers struck by gunfire tonight.

“All have been transported to an area hospital. All are conscious and breathing. Their injuries are believed to be non-life threatening.

“Officers are still taking gunfire downtown & we will share more info as it available.”

Violent protests over the death of Mr Floyd erupted for a seventh night on Monday.

Mr Floyd, who was African-American, died in Minneapolis on May 25 while in police custody.

“If a city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.”

Mr Trump then walked to the nearby St John’s Church and posed for pictures while holding a bible.

Protests have also broken out in cities around the world including London.

Thousands of people marched across the capital for the Black Lives Matter demonstration on Sunday.

On Monday, Downing Street raised concerns about “very alarming” violence in the US.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The violence we have seen in the US over recent days is clearly very alarming.

“People must be allowed to protest peacefully.

“As the Foreign Secretary said yesterday, the footage of George Floyd’s death is deeply distressing and our thoughts are with all those who have been affected.”