Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Michael Brown's Father Seeks New Investigation Into Killing
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
August 9, 2019

Share

CLAYTON, Mo. — On the fifth anniversary of Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson, his father is urging the top St. Louis County prosecutor to reopen the investigation into the white police officer who fatally shot the black and unarmed 18-year-old.
Michael Brown Sr. spoke Friday outside the St. Louis County Justice Center.

“My son was murdered in cold blood, with no remorse and no medical treatment.” — Michael Brown Sr.
“Justice has not been served,” Brown, 41, said as he was surrounded by about three dozen supporters. “My son deserved to live a full life. But a coward with a badge … chose not to value his life.
“My son was murdered in cold blood, with no remorse and no medical treatment.”
Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, St. Louis County’s first black prosecutor, took office in January after his stunning defeat of seven-term incumbent Bob McCulloch.
McCulloch drew criticism for his handling of the investigation into the Aug. 9, 2014, shooting. Detractors accused McCulloch of guiding the grand jury to its decision, announced three months later, not to indict Darren Wilson.
The U.S. Department of Justice under then-President Barack Obama also declined to charge Wilson, who resigned in November 2014.

Officer Told Investigators He Shot Brown in Self-Defense

In a statement to The Associated Press, Bell would not say if the case may be reopened but said his office “is doing everything we can to understand the underlying issues that contributed to the tragic death of Michael Brown.”
The statement said Bell’s office is working with police “to implement policies and reforms that meaningfully address those issues, and help this community and this region heal.”
Bell also is forming a special unit within his office to look at officer-involved shootings and potential cases of wrongful convictions.
Brown’s mother, Lesley McSpadden, also has urged Bell to reopen the case.
Brown and a friend were walking down the middle of Canfield Drive when Wilson told them to move to the sidewalk. An exchange of words led to a fight inside Wilson’s SUV. Brown got out and began to run, then turned around to face the officer.
Wilson told investigators that he shot Brown — who was 6 feet, 4 inches tall and 290 pounds — in self-defense. Some people in the Canfield Green apartment complex near the shooting initially claimed Brown had his hands up in surrender, but the grand jury found no evidence to confirm that.

Photo of Michael Brown Jr. memorial
A man who declined to be identified unfolded a metal chair in the middle of Canfield Drive at a rebuilt memorial to Michael Brown, Jr., preparing to guard it through the night Thursday before the fifth anniversary of Brown’s fatal shooting. (Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

Unusual for Prosecutor to Reopen Thoroughly Examined Case

The shooting led to weeks of protests that included looting and violent confrontations between demonstrators and police officers, many in riot gear and with military-style weapons. Protests escalated again after the grand jury announcement on Nov. 24, 2014. Wilson resigned days after the announcement.
While the Justice Department declined to indict Wilson , it issued a report citing racial prejudice in the Ferguson Police Department and a municipal court system that made money through court fines and legal fees, costs largely borne by black residents. A consent agreement signed in 2016 requires significant reforms.
Bell, 44, is among a wave of progressive prosecutors elected in recent years. His office seeks alternatives to incarceration when possible, such as some non-violent drug crimes. He has ended prosecution of most marijuana possession cases and reduced use of cash bail.
Bell would face no restrictions in re-examining Brown’s death for potential murder charges. Wilson was never charged and tried, so there is no double-jeopardy. There is no statute of limitations on filing murder charges.
It would be unusual for a prosecutor to reopen an old case that’s been so thoroughly examined, but not unheard of. A Philadelphia prosecutor initially declined to charge actor Bill Cosby with sexual assault, but a new prosecutor was elected and Cosby was charged and convicted.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

49ers Overhaul Defensive Line With Rookies and Bryce Huff After Disappointing Season

DON'T MISS

Rams Pass Rusher Jared Verse Ready to Build on Strong Rookie Season

DON'T MISS

Muncy’s 2 Homers and Freeman’s RBI Double Lift Dodgers Over Mets in 10 Innings

DON'T MISS

Pressure Mounts on Netanyahu as Opposition Moves to Dissolve Parliament

DON'T MISS

Trump’s Big Bill Will Cut Taxes by $3.7T and Add $2.4T to Deficit, Budget Office Says

DON'T MISS

Dollar Slips After Data Disappoints, Trump Calls for Rate Cut

DON'T MISS

US Sees No Viable Path for California High-Speed Rail Project, May Rescind $4 Billion

DON'T MISS

Tulare County’s Lake Success Spillway Expansion Completed, Celebrated

DON'T MISS

Fresno Animal Center to Offer Free Adoptions for California Adopt-a-Pet Day

DON'T MISS

Clovis Unified Families ‘Resigned’ To Grad Ceremony Ban, Attorney Says

UP NEXT

American Doctors Are Moving to Canada To Escape the Trump Administration

UP NEXT

Loretta Swit, Emmy-winner Who Played Houlihan on Pioneering TV Series ‘M.A.S.H.,’ Has Died at 87

UP NEXT

1 in 4 US Children Have Parents With Substance Use Disorder, Study Finds

UP NEXT

Dozens Sickened in Expanding Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Recalled Cucumbers

UP NEXT

Speaker Johnson Raises Campaign Money in Fresno

UP NEXT

Business Insider Cuts 21% of Workforce, Memo Shows

UP NEXT

Harvard Agrees to Relinquish Early Photos of Slaves, Ending a Long Legal Battle

UP NEXT

Silence on E. Coli Outbreak Highlights How Trump Team’s Changes Undermine Food Safety

UP NEXT

Trump Pardons Tax Cheat After Mother Attends $1 Million Dinner

UP NEXT

NPR Sues Trump Administration Over Executive Order to Cut Funding

Pressure Mounts on Netanyahu as Opposition Moves to Dissolve Parliament

43 minutes ago

Trump’s Big Bill Will Cut Taxes by $3.7T and Add $2.4T to Deficit, Budget Office Says

59 minutes ago

Dollar Slips After Data Disappoints, Trump Calls for Rate Cut

1 hour ago

US Sees No Viable Path for California High-Speed Rail Project, May Rescind $4 Billion

1 hour ago

Tulare County’s Lake Success Spillway Expansion Completed, Celebrated

1 hour ago

Fresno Animal Center to Offer Free Adoptions for California Adopt-a-Pet Day

1 hour ago

Clovis Unified Families ‘Resigned’ To Grad Ceremony Ban, Attorney Says

16 hours ago

Hegseth Orders the Name of Gay Rights Activist Harvey Milk Scrubbed From Navy Ship

17 hours ago

Knicks Fire Coach Tom Thibodeau After First Eastern Conference Finals Berth in 25 Years

17 hours ago

US Judge Dismisses California’s Tariff Lawsuit, Teeing up Appeal

19 hours ago

49ers Overhaul Defensive Line With Rookies and Bryce Huff After Disappointing Season

SANTA CLARA — The San Francisco 49ers have built their defense out from the defensive line ever since coach Kyle Shanahan and general manage...

2 minutes ago

2 minutes ago

49ers Overhaul Defensive Line With Rookies and Bryce Huff After Disappointing Season

Rams
5 minutes ago

Rams Pass Rusher Jared Verse Ready to Build on Strong Rookie Season

12 minutes ago

Muncy’s 2 Homers and Freeman’s RBI Double Lift Dodgers Over Mets in 10 Innings

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, in Jerusalem, May 21, 2025. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool/File Photo
43 minutes ago

Pressure Mounts on Netanyahu as Opposition Moves to Dissolve Parliament

59 minutes ago

Trump’s Big Bill Will Cut Taxes by $3.7T and Add $2.4T to Deficit, Budget Office Says

U.S. dollar, Euro and Pound banknotes are seen in this illustration taken May 4, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
1 hour ago

Dollar Slips After Data Disappoints, Trump Calls for Rate Cut

A freight locomotive rolls across an intersection in Fresno, California January 6, 2015. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith/File Photo
1 hour ago

US Sees No Viable Path for California High-Speed Rail Project, May Rescind $4 Billion

1 hour ago

Tulare County’s Lake Success Spillway Expansion Completed, Celebrated

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend