Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson Named In Michael Brown Shooting

The Ferguson police officer involved in the Michael Brown shooting is Darren Wilson. The officer has been on the force for six years and has not had any disciplinary charges filed against him. The police chief of the Missouri town, which has been embroiled in riots and looting for five days, announced the name of the officer involved with the shooting during a Friday morning press conference and did not take any questions.

Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson scheduled the officer name release press conference for 9 am, but the event was delayed for more than half-an-hour for unknown reasons. The police chief also stated that an afternoon press conference where questions may be taken is also tentatively scheduled for later today. Officer Darren Wilson was treated for injuries at a local hospital following the Michael Brown shooting. Details of those injuries were not disclosed, but earlier reports indicate that the Ferguson police officer sustained injuries to his face by Michael Brown.

Latest from #Ferguson: Police release photos of robbery before shooting of Michael Brown. http://t.co/1umPi6CN2m pic.twitter.com/2q1mWMOcUa

— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) August 15, 2014

Chief Jackson addressed a myriad of Sunshine Law requests pertaining of the Michael Brown shooting. A robbery in the near vicinity, deemed a “strong-arm” robbery by the Ferguson Police Chief, was also discussed during the press conference. A timeline prior to the Michael Brown shooting outlined by the police official is as follows:

• 11:48 am to noon – Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson was responding to a sick call in area.

• 11:51 am – A 911 call at convenience store nearby involving a robbery was called into the Ferguson police dispatch.

• 11:52 am – Dispatch gave description of suspect and a different Ferguson police officer arrived at the convenience store. More details regarding suspect and information about the strong-arm robbery were transmitted over radio.

• 11:55 am – The suspect, presumably Michael Brown as per Chief Jackson’s press conference, was seen walking in area. Officer Darren Wilson encountered a man he believed to be the suspect after leaving the sick call nearby.

• Noon – The squad which had been at the sick call responded to the Michael Brown shooting scene to give care the police involved shooting victim.

The robbery at the convenience store was reportedly over a $40 box of Swisher Sweet cigars. Two young men were involved in the robbery according to the surveillance video and images released at the Ferguson Police Chief’s press conference. Michael Brown was named as the suspect in robbery in the police report released to the media. A young man who said he was walking with Brown when Officer Darren Wilson stopped them had stated in multiple media interviews that Brown was not carrying a gun but had “cigarellos” or little cigars in his hand. The convenience store where the robbery occurred was one of many businesses looted during the Ferguson riots. The robbery suspect identified as Michael Brown allegedly got into a physical confrontation with the store clerk who insisted the teens had to pay for the box of Swisher Sweets.

After Missouri Governor Jay Nixon placed the state highway patrol in charge of security in Ferguson, riots and looting came to a swift end. Approximately 10 arrests in the area of the Michael Brown shooting occurred Thursday evening, but the local police department says the rioting incidents had dropped drastically.

Both the ACLU and the NAACP have been calling for the release of the name of the officer involved in the Michael Brown shooting for several days. The social media group Anonymous previously released a name which was reportedly incorrect, and may have led to death threats against the Ferguson police officer and his family.

Michael Brown shooting witnesses in Ferguson maintain that the teenager was unarmed when officer Darren Wilson shot him, and had his hands raised in the air in a position of surrender. The Ferguson police department has not yet confirmed whether a gun was found on or near Brown, or the position of his hands prior to the fatal shots being fired by. The #HandsUpDontShoot hashtag went viral on Twitter.

[Image Via: Twitter]