Michael Brown's family is going to sue Darren Wilson

1. At a press conference Thursday morning, Anthony Gray, attorney for the family of Michael Brown, announced plans to file a civil case against former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed Brown on August 9, 2014. Daryl Parks, another member of the legal team, said the city of Ferguson would also be named in the suit.
2. The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that the Obama administration will not press civil rights charges against Wilson.
3. A grand jury decided in November 2014 not to charge Wilson in Brown's death.
4. A broader federal investigation into civil rights violations by Ferguson police and municipal officials found a pattern of racial bias by police officers, and concluded that they regularly violated the constitutional rights of the city's African-American residents.

A different legal standard

Parks and Gray pointed out that the standard of proof in a civil suit would differ from the one the Justice Department contemplated in its decision not to bring federal charges against Wilson, suggesting that it would be easier to meet. Parks said the Brown family does "not accept" the idea that Wilson acted in self-defense when he killed Brown.

Further reading

Feds won't file civil rights charges against Darren Wilson for killing Michael Brown

Can Ferguson do what it takes to reform its police?

The 6 most damning findings from the DOJ's report on racism in the city of Ferguson

Read the full, shocking Department of Justice report on racism in the Ferguson PD

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