Ferguson, Missouri, Police Release Name of Officer in Fatal Shooting
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ABC News(FERGUSON, Mo.) — Police have announced the name of the officer who shot and killed an unarmed teen in Ferguson, Missouri — an incident that led to days of clashes in the streets of the St. Louis suburb.
Darren Wilson was revealed Friday as the officer who shot Michael Brown, 18. Officials have moved the six-year police veteran and his family from the town as a safety precaution.
Wilson does not have any history of disciplinary action, Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson said.
Jackson also noted that Wilson was “treated for an injury.” When he announced Wilson’s name, authorities handed out copies of a police report to reporters relating to a convenience store “strong arm” robbery that took place in the area shortly before Brown’s fatal shooting, showing that the police see the two events as connected.
“After viewing brown and reviewing this video, I was able to confirm that Brown is the primary suspect in this incident,” the police report about the convenience store robbery stated.
“We’re learning and we’re moving forward. This all starts now to heal, to just make things better,” Jackson told ABC News.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said early Friday morning that he thinks releasing the name of the officer involved Saturday’s shooting will help in Ferguson’s healing process.
“I was pleased to hear the chief indicate this would be a day in which, finally, that initial name would come out, and we’ll work to make sure that his family [is safe] and there’s security around that,” Nixon told ABC News. “I think those kind of concrete steps of transparency leading to justice are vitally important now to heal the old wounds that have been made a fresh by this difficult and horrific situation.”
Ferguson faced five consecutive nights of unrest or violence following the weekend shooting death of Michael Brown, 18. Brown, who was unarmed, had his hands raised when he was fatally wounded, at least two witnesses said.
Peaceful protests followed Thursday after Nixon swapped local and county officers — many wearing riot gear — for state highway patrol troopers. Capt. Ron Johnson, the leader of the highway patrol, walked side-by-side with demonstrators Thursday.
“This is my community. A lot of people I saw walking in this march are people that I know,” Johnson said. “So the old saying, ‘I’ve got a dog in this fight,’ [is true]. I’ve got a big dog in this fight.”
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