Outrage as Ferguson police announce Darren Wilson as Michael Brown's shooter
By RYAN GORMAN
Ferguson police announced the name of unarmed black teen Michael Brown's shooter, and locals are already calling it a cover up.
Six-year police veteran Darren Wilson was named as the shooter, and Police Chief Thomas Jackson claimed Brown is dead because he was a suspect in a strong-arm robbery.
The hastily arranged Thursday morning press conference outraged Ferguson residents as information they felt smeared Brown was provided, but zero details were given about his shooter outside of a name.
"How come he don't answer no questions?" An angry man could be heard screaming on a live video feed of the press conference.
Chief Jackson's remarks began with a description of a nearby robbery that officer Wilson responded to on Saturday. He then went on to describe why ambulances were slow to respond to the shooting.
Jackson claims a sick call slowed first responders, and a video unearthed by AOL shows Brown's body lying in the street without any immediate medical attention.
"We're just now finding out about this? They just now say it's a robbery?" An outraged woman screamed as Jackson scuttled away surrounded by his officers.
An information packet about the armed robbery, including surveillance stills, was provided to local reporters. It has been embedded at the bottom of the article.
The documents did not contain any information about Officer Wilson. The actual footage was released a few hours later.
"Where is this guy? Where has he been? He could be in Mexico right now," screamed a furious man who watched the proceedings. "We want to see his face, put him on TV... this ain't over until we say it's over!"
The packet claims the robbery happened only minutes before Brown's fatal shooting, and that he and Dorian Johnson were trying to steal a box of Swisher Sweets cigars from a nearby convenience store.
It is not clear if the cigars were found on Brown's lifeless body as he lie bleeding in the street in plain view of dozens of outraged locals.
Claims of a cover up are perhaps given credence by a KSDK reporter saying on a hot mic in raw footage streaming on the station's site saying Ferguson police do not want a four-wide set of surveillance stills zoomed in on by the media.
"That's bulls**t, you see this?" Shouted another.
Others shouted the police are trying to cover up what really happened.
"Hands up! Don't shoot! Hands up! Don't shoot!" Chanted angry protesters.
The protesting was angry, but certainly not violent. Perhaps a result of Thursday's removal from Ferguson of St. Louis County Police and installation of the Missouri High Patrol - led by Ferguson lifer Captain Ron Johnson.
Johnson told assembled media shortly after the announcement that he wished he could have been part of the press conference, and that "things could have been said differently."
He expressed a desire to be part of future press conferences.
"If we're going to give answers, we can't give hints," said Johnson. "We need to give answers."
Related links:
Police reveal officer's name in teen's death
GRAPHIC: Disturbing new video emerges claiming to show lack of medical attention to unarmed black teenager gunned down by Ferguson police
