U.S.
Adrees Latif/Reuters
The St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office revealed that the Ferguson Police Department never filled out an incident report on the shooting death. The Prosecutor's Office said the case was turned over to county police almost immediately, and no details will be released while the grand jury reviews the case and decides whether or not to indict the officer, MSNBC reported Thursday.
After the police department withheld the report, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit to obtain the records. Late Wednesday, the ACLU of Missouri released what they said was the report, which lists only the date, time and location of the shooting.
A grand jury began considering evidence this week to determine whether the officer who shot Brown should be charged. The process could take weeks.
Federal authorities have also launched an independent investigation into Brown’s killing, and United States Sen. Claire McCaskill said all of the physical evidence from the case was being flown Thursday from St. Louis to the FBI forensics lab in Quantico, Virginia. The evidence includes shell casings and trajectories, blood patterns and clothing, the Missouri Democrat said.
“The only thing you have to test the credibility of eyewitnesses to a shooting like this is in fact the physical evidence,” McCaskill said. “I’m hopeful the forensic evidence will be clear and will shed a lot more light on what the facts were.”
McCaskill said next month she will lead a Senate hearing to look into the militarization of local police departments after criticism of the earlier law enforcement response to the protests in Ferguson.
At least 163 people were arrested in Ferguson-area demonstrations since Brown’s death, authorities said late Thursday. Just seven of those live in Ferguson, according to data provided by St. Louis County.
Tensions appeared to be calming in Ferguson overnight Thursday, after Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon ordered the National Guard to begin withdrawing.
“I feel like we’re making progress,” Nixon told KMOX-AM, noting that a state of emergency remained in effect in Ferguson.
Al Jazeera and wire services
Twitter campaign #iftheygunnedmedown asks US media how they would choose to represent African-American victims
Media portrayals of mass protest obscure serious human rights issue of police violence against African-Americans
As Ferguson unfolds, misinformation about the shooting and the protests frames social media debates.
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