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On the morning of Friday, August 15, the Ferguson Police Department released the name of the officer involved in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown: Darren Wilson, a six-year veteran of the force with no prior disciplinary record.
Notably, the press conference where Wilson's name was announced was held at the Quik Trip convenience store that was burned on Sunday night when protests following Brown's death briefly turned violent.
The release of the officer's name has been a core demand of protesters in Ferguson since Brown was killed on Saturday, August 9. Previously, Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson had said that he would not reveal the officer's identity unless ordered to do so by a judge, or until official charges were filed. Jackson cited safety concerns as the reason the name was originally withheld, claiming that threats against the officer had been made on social media.
The reason for Jackson's change of heart was not immediately clear. The chief cited "a lot of sunshine requests," but did not take questions from the press.
At the press conference, Ferguson police also distributed documents to reporters which appear to suggest that Michael Brown was the primary suspect in a strong arm robbery of a convenience store that took place immediately before he was killed. Ryan J. Reilly of the Huffington Post posted the relevant sections:
Page from police report pic.twitter.com/xcz6nUKqY2
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) August 15, 2014
More from report pic.twitter.com/7OyD2fgrI2
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) August 15, 2014
"Brown is the primary suspect in this incident." - police report
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) August 15, 2014
Stills from camera pic.twitter.com/FEcmKc3oGr
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) August 15, 2014
Read Vox's full guide to the Michael Brown shooting here.
