That's how police are responding to allegations that they beat the man arrested for shooting two police officers during protests in Ferguson, Missouri, last week.

Jeffrey Williams, 20, has been charged with two counts of first-degree assault, a count of firing a weapon from a vehicle and three counts of armed criminal activity.

Police have said he admitted to firing the shots that struck the officers. But Williams' lawyer says he has little confidence in such statements.

"He's scared. You know, this has been pretty traumatic for him," attorney Jerryl Christmas said about his client on Monday.

"One thing that is clear is that he has a large amount of bruising on his body that I noticed that I'm very concerned about. It appears that whatever statements he made, he was without the advice of counsel, and when I look at the bruising, it's hard for me assess if these were voluntary statements that he made."

Christmas told CNN that Williams has bruising across his back, and a knot on his head.

"He said he was bruised by the police when he was taken into custody. And he was in a lot of pain when he was being questioned," Christmas said. "They used a lot of force on him."

Police deny the accusation.

"With regard to the allegations that Jeffrey Williams was 'beaten' by police, the St. Louis County Police Department calls these allegations completely false," Sgt. Brian Schellman said in a statement. "Immediately following the arrest, arresting officers transported Williams to St. Louis County Police Headquarters where he was interviewed by Crimes Against Persons Detectives. This entire interview was video and audio recorded."

Schellman also said that Williams was seen by a nurse, who released Williams as "fit for confinement."

Williams is being held on a cash-only $300,000 bond, according to St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch, who said it's possible Williams could face more charges and that others could be charged in the case.

Photos: The art of Ferguson Photos: The art of Ferguson The art of Ferguson – Elaborate and inspirational murals have emerged on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri. You can find these artistic murals if you walk along the two main avenues in the town where rioters and looters ravaged many businesses and storefronts in the hours after a grand jury refused to indicted officer Darren Wilson for the shooting death of Michael Brown. Hide Caption 1 of 15 Photos: The art of Ferguson The art of Ferguson – Ferguson resident Darcy Edwin spent hours meticulously painting this mural titled "We Are Family." She said it was simply an effort to make things a little better in her hometown. Hide Caption 2 of 15 Photos: The art of Ferguson The art of Ferguson – The New Chinese Gourmet restaurant is open but in the mayhem of protests, the restaurants windows were smashed out. An artist turned the plywood sheets into a canvas to bring people together. Hide Caption 3 of 15 Photos: The art of Ferguson The art of Ferguson – Prayer and healing is a constant theme in many of the artistic murals that have popped up in the past few days across Ferguson. Hide Caption 4 of 15 Photos: The art of Ferguson The art of Ferguson – Many of the businesses near the Ferguson Police Department were damaged in the first wave of violent protests after the grand jury announced its decision not to indict Darren Wilson. Hide Caption 5 of 15 Photos: The art of Ferguson The art of Ferguson – Many of the artists who turned out to paint these murals didn't like the idea of seeing Ferguson's quaint strip of storefronts marred by large sheets of drab plywood covering windows. Hide Caption 6 of 15 Photos: The art of Ferguson The art of Ferguson – Some of the murals have an innocent, child-like feel to them. Ferguson Mayor James Knowles says he'd like to see the murals preserved but there isn't a formal plan to do so yet. Hide Caption 7 of 15 Photos: The art of Ferguson The art of Ferguson – Love and peace are also popular themes in many of the murals. Hide Caption 8 of 15 Photos: The art of Ferguson The art of Ferguson – This mural has inspired the popular hashtag #handsupletspray and is seen on several sheets of plywood on various storefronts along South Florissant Avenue. Hide Caption 9 of 15 Photos: The art of Ferguson The art of Ferguson – Many of these murals started to spring up around the Thanksgiving holiday. It was not an organized effort. Painters wanted to bring beauty to a depressing situation. Hide Caption 10 of 15 Photos: The art of Ferguson The art of Ferguson – Inspirational messages can be found on most of the murals. The painter of this mural was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. Hide Caption 11 of 15 Photos: The art of Ferguson The art of Ferguson – Many of the murals are large. This painting covers four large sheets of plywood on a storefront just up the street from the Ferguson Police Department. Hide Caption 12 of 15 Photos: The art of Ferguson The art of Ferguson – In the coming days, many store front windows will be repaired and these murals will start to come down. Many people hope the artistic murals should be preserved as part of the city's history. Hide Caption 13 of 15 Photos: The art of Ferguson The art of Ferguson – This is one of the more elaborate murals left on the plywood windows of a Ferguson hardware store. "Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only light, only love." Hide Caption 14 of 15 Photos: The art of Ferguson The art of Ferguson – The artists brought bright colors and elaborate designs to these murals. Hide Caption 15 of 15

The prosecutor thanked the public for the information that led to the arrest. He said police served a search warrant on Williams' residence where they seized a .40-caliber handgun, "which has been tied to the shell casings that were recovered" at the scene of the shooting.

One element of the case that authorities have yet to sort out is intent, McCulloch said, adding that Williams has acknowledged firing the shots but has said he wasn't aiming at the police officers.

Investigators are not sure they "buy" Williams' claim that he opened fire after a dispute with other individuals, McCulloch said, but he didn't rule it out.

After speaking to his client, Christmas said that it's clear to him there was no intent to target police.

For more than 200 days, protests have taken place in Ferguson since the August shooting death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson was not indicted.

According to his attorney, Williams was not part of the protest community, and does not have a history of violence.

"I clearly think that we don't have the right person in custody," Christmas said.