Rampage in USA: Police reveal Darren Wilson as cop who shot unarmed teen Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri

Police say Michael Brown was robbery suspect, release name of officer who shot him

RIOT police are back on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, with reports of clahes and looting after more details of the Michael Brown shooting were released.
Tear gas has been fired into the crowd by riot police amid reports that at least three stores have been looted.
CNN reports that a swat team lined up across from dozens of protesters in Ferguson early on Saturday commanding them via a bullhorn to get out of the street and onto sidewalks, or to go home.
Bottles flew back in their direction, and looters began breaking into stores.
Security officers warned that disobeying the law would be met with arrest and the military style vehicles that had previously disappeared from the streets were deployed once again.

Tensions flare...Protestors stand in the middle of West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, refusing to leave despite police orders. Picture:AP/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Robert Cohen Source: AP

 

Looting again...Looting began again in Ferguson after police and protestors clashed. Picture: AP/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Robert Cohen Source: AP

The confrontation began after more than two dozen protesters closed off a section of street near a convenience store that has become part of the case surrounding Michael Brown.
It was revealed by police that Brown, the unarmed black teenager who was shot dead, was suspected of stealing a $48.99 box of cigars from the convenience store.
Police broke a weeklong silence and revealed the name of the officer involved in the fatal shooting, a move which was supposed to be a step forward in healing the fractured community.
Instead, the decision by Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson to accompany the release of the officer’s name with a police report alleging that the teenager took part in a robbery shortly before the shooting sparked more outrage in the St. Louis suburb.
That outrage grew later in the day after Jackson admitted the officer — 28-year-old Darren Wilson — was not aware that Michael Brown was a robbery suspect at the time of the shooting.
He stopped him and a companion, Jackson said, “because they were walking down the middle of the street blocking traffic.”

Anger erupts....After a period of calm anger has once again erupted after vision released by police showed shooting victim, Michael Brown, allegedly robbing a conveinance store. Picture: Scott Olson/Getty Images/AFP Source: AFP

New details ... Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson releases the name of the officer who fatally shot unarmed teenager Michael Brown. Source: AP

The release of the information drew a quick rebuke from Brown’s family, who called it an attempt to divert attention from the killing.
“The family feels that was strategic,” Anthony Gray, a lawyer for Brown’s family, said during a news conference.
“They feel it was aimed at denigrating their son. It was an attempt at character assassination.”
Jackson denied the family’s allegations, saying he decided to release the report and accompanying surveillance video because “I had to. Too many people put in (freedom of information) requests for it.”
To many members of the community, Jackson’s decision feels like a slap in the face, said Shyroun Ridgel, a resident of nearby Jennings and a pastor at Higher Ground Community Outreach Center.

Thieves’ ... Security camera footage shows an alleged robbery at a convenience store in Ferguson. Source: AP

 “It feels like the chief of police is trying to incite us by releasing that information,” she said.
There has been a strong reaction to the Ferguson crisis on social media with users taking to Twitter to document what’s happening on the ground.

Shattered calm: Riot police fire tear gas as looting breaks out again in #Ferguson http://nbcnews.to/1mTsRig 

 

Add captionFerguson police officers beat this man – then charged him for getting blood on their uniforms http://thebea.st/1l8uDRK 

Calm had earlier been restored after five days of violence, with heavily armed police officers using tear gas and rubber bullets against protesters.
Police changed their tactics under the command of Missouri Highway Patrol Capt Ron Johnson, abandoning military-style gear and focusing on mingling with protesters and giving them space to demonstrate.
Johnson, who grew up in the community, was put in charge on Thursday by Governor Jay Nixon in an attempt to calm the situation on the streets of Ferguson. He said he had not been told that local police were going to be releasing the information.

In charge ... Captain Ron Johnson of the Missouri Highway Patrol, left, and Missouri Govenor Jay Nixon take part in a news conference in the wake of the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer on August 9. Pic: AP Photo/Jeff Roberson Source: AP

“I would have liked to have been consulted,” he said.
Fielding questions from the media and residents early in the day, Nixon said the release of the officer’s identity will be but one critical step in the process of investigating the death of Brown.
Each step, he said, runs the risk of inflaming the situation.
“I think there are going to be some bumps along this road to justice,” he said.
Johnson, who has won high praise from community members, said he believes the violence the community has seen is a thing of the past.
“This inner anger, we have to make sure we don’t burn down our own house,” Johnson said.
“That doesn’t prove a point. That does not solve the issue. That hurts this community, and that’s what I don’t want.”

Don’t shoot ... A demonstrator makes his point over the shooting death of Michael Brown on August 14 in Ferguson, Missouri. Pic Scott Olson/Getty Images/AFP Source: AFP

 According to the records released on Friday, police received a 911 call reporting a robbery at Ferguson Market. An officer dispatched to the scene described a man who stole cigars and fled down the street with another man.
A box of Swisher Sweets Cigars valued at $48.99 had been stolen, according to reports.
The suspects were identified as 18-year-old Michael Brown and 22-year-old Dorian Johnson.
Wilson encountered Michael Brown walking down Canfield Drive. The documents contained no description of what happened between Brown and Wilson, and investigators have refused to release that information.

Firey clash ... A demonstrator throws back a tear gas container after tactical officers worked to break up a group of bystanders on Chambers Road and West Florissant in St. Louis. Pic: AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Robert Cohen Source: AAP

  
But within minutes of their encounter, Wilson shot and killed Brown.
Police have said Brown struggled with Wilson in his car and that the officer sustained injuries. Several eyewitnesses said Brown was shot while retreating with his hands raised.
“Even if he was suspected of robbery, he was unarmed,” said Michelle Foster, 47 of Florissant.
The visual of Brown raising his hands above his head in surrender inspired the battle cry for the protest movement in Ferguson, with crowds chanting “hands up, don’t shoot.”
Jackson described Wilson as “a gentle, quiet man” who had been “an excellent officer.” He’s been on the Ferguson force for four years. Prior to that, he patrolled in the neighbouring community of Jennings, Jackson said.
According to USA Today, a police officer keeping watch over Wilson’s home said he had left town with his family days ago.

Heavily armed ... a member of the St. Louis County Police Department points his weapon in the direction of protesters on August 13. Source: AP

Source: news.com.au/world/police-reveal-darren-wilson-as-cop-who-shot-unarmed-teen-michael-brown-in-ferguson-missouri/story