FBI to Investigate Murder of Mike Brown

11 Aug, 2014

Hundreds of protesters gathered at a suburban St. Louis police station on Monday demanding murder charges against an officer who shot to death an unarmed black teenager over the weekend.

Up to 15 people were arrested during the largely peaceful protests, which took place after a night of rioting when demonstrations over the death of Michael Brown, 18, turned violent, St. Louis County police said.

About two dozen businesses were damaged in the rioting overnight, 32 people were arrested, and two officers were injured, police said.

“It breaks my heart,” Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson told reporters on Monday. “Last night was the worst night of my life.”

The FBI is looking into any civil rights violations in the case, a spokeswoman for the agency said. St. Louis County police is leading the investigation into the shooting itself.

Jackson said there was plenty of physical evidence and eyewitness testimony. “I really believe we can get to the truth of what happened here,” he said.

Brown’s family has asked for an end to the street violence, according to media reports. They have hired lawyer Benjamin Crump, who represented the family of Trayvon Martin, a black Florida teenager who was unarmed when he was shot and killed by a neighborhood watchman in 2012.

The FBI opened a concurrent federal inquiry into the case intended to supplement the main investigation by St. Louis County police, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

It was not immediately clear from police why Brown was in the police car. At least one shot was fired during the struggle, and then the officer fired more shots before leaving the car, police said.

The officer, who was not identified, is a six-year veteran and has been put on administrative leave, police said. The officer’s race has not been disclosed.

Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson said there was plenty of physical evidence and eyewitness testimony. “I really believe we can get to the truth of what happened here,” he said.

Demonstrations to call for justice for Brown turned violent Sunday night, with crowds breaking the windows of cars and stores, setting a building on fire and looting shops. At least two dozen businesses were damaged, 32 people were arrested, and two police officers were injured.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the town’s police station on Monday to demand murder charges against the officer responsible for the shooting. Police arrested up to 15 people on Monday during the mostly peaceful demonstration in which protesters put their hands in the air as if surrendering and chanted “Stop the killer cops.”

Brown’s mother said her son had been planning to study heating and air conditioning repair at a technical college.

Reuters

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