Ferguson shooting victim Michael Brown’s stepfather investigated
Police look into comments made after grand jury did not indict officer who killed his stepson
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 03 December, 2014, 10:07pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 03 December, 2014, 10:20pm
Associated Press in St Louis
Penn State University students took over the floor of a campus building for 45 minutes. Photo: TNS
Police are investigating Michael Brown's stepfather for angry comments on the streets of Ferguson after a grand jury decided not to indict the police officer who fatally shot his unarmed stepson, a spokesman said.
Officials are looking into Louis Head's comments as part of a broader investigation into the arson, vandalism and looting that followed the November 24 grand jury announcement, St Louis County Police spokesman Brian Schellman said on Tuesday. Twelve commercial buildings were destroyed by fire.
Brown, 18, who was black and unarmed, was killed on August 9 by Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson, who is white. Wilson, who resigned from the Ferguson police department over the weekend, had told the grand jury his life was being threatened, but some witnesses said Brown was trying to surrender. Brown's killing sparked weeks of unrest and reignited debate over race relations in America.
Video widely circulated after last week's grand jury announcement shows Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, on top of a car and breaking down as the decision blares over a stereo. Head, her husband, comforts her, then yells angry comments, including: "Burn this bitch down!"
Family attorney Benjamin Crump has called the reaction "raw emotion," but "completely inappropriate". He did not immediately return messages seeking comment on Tuesday.
Head had not yet been interviewed by police, and there was no timetable for when the investigation would be completed, Schellman said.
He declined to discuss what specific charges Head could face. A message left with a spokesman for St Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch was not immediately returned.
Ferguson Police spokesman Jeff Small said that department was not conducting a separate investigation of Head.
Most of the violence occurred in the first two days after the announcement. Peaceful protests have continued, including one on Tuesday involving students who walked out of classes from three Ferguson-area high schools.
The Ferguson-Florissant School District said in a letter to students and parents that teachers accompanied the students to ensure their safety but that the protests were student-led.
The letter also said the district dispatched transportation to pick up students and return them to classes, though some chose to walk back.
It was their first day back in class after the Thanksgiving break was extended a day due to bad weather on Monday, when similar walkouts were staged across the US.
While daytime protests continue, nighttime demonstrations have waned. There were 124 arrests in Ferguson in the five days following the grand jury announcement, but none since Friday. As a result, police are scaling back their presence. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon also announced on Tuesday that the National Guard was reducing its presence in Ferguson and elsewhere in St Louis County.
