Michael Brown Shooting: Name of Ferguson Police Officer Released

Days after Michael Brown was shot and killed in Ferguson, Missouri, and after global pressure and calls for transparency, the name of the police officer involved in the fatal shooting of the unarmed teen was released Friday, citing a live CNN broadcast.

Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson, at a burned-down QuikTrip, began to speak on what the world has been anxious to learn in terms of the identity of the officer who fired the shot that took Brown’s life.

Under the Sunshine Request, Missouri’s open-documents law, the chief said packets would be available to outline critical events involved in the investigation to provide transparency in the Michael Brown shooting.

In what appears to be somewhat of a connection, Chief Jackson preceded the release of the officer’s name with information about an alleged strong-arm robbery (no weapon involved) at a local convenience market on August 9, moments before the shooting death of the Missouri teenager. Apparently, there is CCTV footage of a suspect involved in the crime.

Jackson then said released the police officer’s name as Darren Wilson, a six-year veteran with no known disciplinary action in his file. He then left the podium without taking questions.

CNN’s Don Lemon said police believe there is evidence to suggest that Michael Brown was the suspect involved in the robbery involving cigars and punch.

The irony is that Jackson did not mention the connection to the public, only to sources in the media. This new parcel of information appears to suggest that the deceased teen was likely involved in the earlier crime or played some part. In keeping with his cryptic tone, he left a lot of “details to the imagination.”

The Missouri police department has come under fire, not only for the alleged unlawful killing of Brown, but the immediate response to the general public during peaceful protests over the shooting. Under growing pressure, the state’s governor relieved the local police of duty and in a strong PR move to gain community confidence, the State Police took over operations.

The initial police response underscores a larger issue on the growing widespread militarization of police departments all across America.

Indications have been all over Ferguson during the riots in wake of the shooting of Michael Brown. Many agree that well-trained SWAT teams are necessary, but the heavy artillery law enforcement agencies are using today often fall into hands of under-trained peace officers, who use it improperly. As a consequence, the arsenal of weaponry results in excessive force and long-term trauma to victims.

Vanita Gupta, the Deputy Legal Director, American Civil Liberties Union, said there is overuse and gross misuse of weapons that are supplied by the Pentagon under a special surplus program.

The scenes from Ferguson depict scenarios from war, or what one expects to see in the war on terrorism in some areas of the Middle East. The ACLU has taken a strong stance against rising and disturbing patterns of police aggression, as evidenced by a recent string of officer-involved shootings, typically with young black males in urban settings.

It’s unknown if there is an actual link, which could play into the minds of responding officers. Still photos released to the media show grainy images of the robbery suspect at the local store, but the identity is inconclusive. However, a telltale sign is the red hat, which matches the description of the one near the lifeless body of Michael Brown.

Although the name of the Ferguson police officer was released, it’s unknown if charges will be filed in the shooting.

[Image courtesy of Tara Dodrill]