By Brandie Piper
FERGUSON, Mo. – The Ferguson police chief has identified the officer who killed 18-year-old Michael Brown Saturday afternoon.
In a Friday morning news conference Chief Thomas Jackson says the officer is Darren Wilson. Wilson is a six year veteran of the police force and Jackson never had disciplinary action while a member of the Ferguson department.
According to Jackson, the officer who killed Brown was at a sick call at 11:48 a.m. An ambulance was at the location of the sick call. At 11:51 a.m. Jackson says dispatchers received a 911 call about a robbery. One minute later police dispatch gave a description of the suspect.
Jackson also released information he said was requested under the Sunshine Law about a strong-armed robbery that occurred at a convenience store before Brown was killed. He said the convenience store that was robbed was not the QuikTrip that was vandalized and burned during Sunday night’s riot. Police also released security camera photographs from the convenience store robbery. The photos show a black male wearing a white shirt, shorts and red baseball cap involved in an alleged robbery.
Jackson says one officer arrived at the store, and more details were given over the radio, including that the suspect was walking toward QuikTrip.
He says Officer Wilson left the sick call and saw Brown walking on Canfield at 12:01 p.m. Jackson says a second officer arrived on Canfield at 12:04 p.m., after the shooting. One minute later Jackson says a supervisor arrived.
According to Jackson, the ambulance at the sick case arrived at Canfield and assessed Brown.
At the news conference, Jackson made no connection between the shooting of Michael Brown and the strong-armed robbery. However, the documents he released list Michael Brown and Dorian Johnson as suspects in that case.
Jackson says Wilson was treated for injuries sustained on Saturday.
Brown was unarmed when the officer killed him. Witnesses in the area say Brown had raised his hands to surrender when he was shot. Police have not confirmed that information.
In the released police report, Ferguson police state after viewing Brown’s body and reviewing the surveillance video, they were able to confirm that Brown is the primary suspect in this incident. Police say a second person, also at the scene of the robbery, identified himself as being with Brown. That person was later identified as Dorian Johnson. The documents can be found below this story.
The name of the officer was scheduled to be released by Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson by 12 p.m. Tuesday, but he changed his mind, citing social media threats made to officers.
He also did not answer any questions after releasing the name. He said he will address the media later on Friday.
Gov. Jay Nixon released the following statement following the news conference:
“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.”
– Gov. Jay Nixon
The Ethical Society of Police released the following statement on their Facebook page:
“Greetings community members of St. Louis, MO and all those across the nation. The Ethical Society of Police has been closely following the events surrounding the unfortunate police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO.
As a result of public outcry and a demand for justice, the Ferguson police officer’s name was released and happens to be, Darren Wilson.
The first thing we would like to assure the world is that this is a horrific coincidence.
May I assure the world that this is not the President of the Ethical Society of Police’s Sergeant Darren R. Wilson who is African-American, and happens to be an 18 year veteran of the St. Louis Police Department.
I’m sure additional clarification statements will be released immediately.
Thank you for your continued support.”
– Statement from the Ethical Society of Police
Attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing the family of Michael Brown, released the following statement on his Facebook page on behalf of the family:
“Michael Brown’s family is beyond outraged at the devious way the police chief has chosen to disseminate piece mil information in a manner intended to assassinate the character of their son, following such a brutal assassination of his person in broad daylight.
There is nothing based on the facts that have been placed before us that can justify the execution style murder of their child by this police officer as he held his hands up, which is the universal sign of surrender.
The prolonged release of the officer’s name and then the subsequent alleged information regarding a robbery is the reason why the family and the local community have such distrust for the local law enforcement agencies.
It is no way transparent to release the still photographs alleged to be Michael Brown and refuse to release the photographs of the officer that executed him.
The police strategy of attempting to blame the victim will not divert our attention, from being focused on the autopsy, ballistics report and the trajectory of the bullets that caused Michael’s death and will demonstrate to the world this brutal execution of an unarmed teenager.”
Benjamin L Crump, Esq.
Anthony D. Gray, Esq.
Daryl D. Parks, Esq.
This is how the documents were exactly given to us by the Ferguson Police Department. The photographs and videos were also supplied by the Ferguson Police Department.
Brandie Piper 