Police identify officer, allege teen robbed store By DAVID A. LIEB and ALAN SCHER ZAGIERAssociated Press FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) – Police on Friday identified the officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager and released documents alleging the young man had been suspected of stealing a $48.99 box of cigars from a convenience store in a “strong-arm” robbery shortly before he was killed. Police Chief Thomas Jackson said the officer did not know the teen was a robbery suspect at the time of the shooting and stopped Michael Brown and a companion “because they were walking down the middle of the street blocking traffic.” Darren Wilson, a 28-year-old white officer, has patrolled suburban St. Louis for six years and had no previous complaints filed against him, Jackson said. Browns relatives said no robbery would justify shooting the teen after he put his hands up. Family attorneys said Browns parents were blindsided by the allegations and the release of a surveillance video from the store. “It appears to be him,” attorney Daryl Parks said, referring to the footage, which he said was released without any advance notice from police. The police chief described Wilson as “a gentle, quiet man” who had been “an excellent officer.” He has been [...] geogianews/police-identify-officer-allege-teen-robbed-store/
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 09:01:53 +0000