Ferguson Grand Jury Investigated: Tweet May Have Revealed Juror Misconduct
The Ferguson grand jury is being investigated for misconduct after allegations emerged that one juror may have been speaking to a friend about the case. The grand jury has heard the case against Officer Darren Wilson, the officer who shot Michael Brown in August. Now it seems the case may have gotten a bit more complicated.
According to the Washington Post, a post appeared on Twitter that seemingly indicated that a juror had been discussing the Wilson case with a friend. The tweet was from someone who indicated she was a friend with one of the Ferguson grand jury members, and that they had indicated that there wasn’t enough evidence to move forward on a case against Wilson.
Apparently that same friend had tweeted messages of support for Wilson. The tweet about the grand jury was quickly deleted, allegedly because the juror learned of the tweet and asked the friend to delete it. However, the post had been screencapped by activist Shaun King before it disappeared.
As a result, the Ferguson grand jury is being investigated to see if indeed there was misconduct by anyone sitting on the panel. The information was passed along to a county prosecutor Wednesday morning and now authorities are looking into the matter.
The grand jury has been hearing evidence related to the Darren Wilson shooting of Michael Brown since August 20. It is expected that the presentation of evidence will continue through October and that the grand jury could meet through mid-November. However, if the Ferguson grand jury investigation indeed turns up evidence of misconduct, prosecutors may need to start over with a new group.
CNN notes that the Ferguson grand jury investigation comes as the prosecutor’s office indicates that the investigation into Michael Brown’s death has been completed. Both the FBI and the St. Louis County Police Department have been involved in the investigation.
At this point, there are two federal civil rights investigations taking place related to the situation. One is specific to Wilson’s shooting of Brown, while the other is looking at the Ferguson department as a whole when it comes to potential racial profiling.
The case has been heavily discussed in the media and among those following the case, and there is a great deal of tension surrounding the topic of the grand jury investigation into Wilson and the shooting. If indeed the Ferguson grand jury investigation reveals misconduct on the part of one juror, many anxious for answers will most certainly feel frustrated and angry. For now, those following the case will have to stay tuned for updates.
[Image via New York Post]
