Police in Ferguson have released information indicating the young man shot to death by a policeman last weekend was the suspect in a robbery at a convenience store shortly before the shooting. Ferguson police chief Tom Jackson has identified the officer who shot Michael Brown as a six-year veteran with the force, Darren Wilson.
Jackson also has released photographs from a security camera at the convenience store that appear to show Brown involved in a strong-armed robbery. Documents released because of demands under the state’s open records law also list Dorian Johnson as a suspect. Johnson has done numerous television interviews throughout the week saying the officer had accosted him and Brown as they walked down a Ferguson street.
Jackson did not identify Brown or Jackson as suspects in the robbery and did not during his remarks link Brown to that incident, saying that such information would have to come from St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch., McCulloch has refused to release information because the investigation into the events is ongoing.
Governor Nixon is returning to Ferguson for an 11 a.m. news conference and Highway Patrol briefing. Nixon put the Highway Patrol in charge of security in Ferguson yesterday. Although there were more protests last night, violence and confrontations with police that had happened in previous nights did not occur.
Nixon has released the following statement:
“I’m pleased that the people of Ferguson and the region began to get some long-overdue information today, and I will continue to call for openness and transparency as the parallel investigations into this tragedy proceed to their necessary conclusions. For the sake of the family, the citizens of Ferguson, and the entire region, it is vital that the investigations into the shooting death of Michael Brown move forward in a thorough, open and transparent manner to ensure that trust is restored and justice is done.”
Chief Jackson’s news conference:
AUDIO: Jackson news conference 3:57
