A former Ferguson, Missouri, police officer will not face federal civil rights charges in the fatal shooting of unarmed black teen Michael Brown, the Justice Department said Wednesday.
The feds found there was no evidence to disprove Darren Wilson’s testimony that he feared for his safety during the Aug. 9 killing — and that there also was no reliable evidence that the 18-year-old had his hands up when he was shot.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department released a scathing report that slams the city and its police force for racial bias.
The report says blacks in Ferguson are disproportionately subject to excessive police force, groundless traffic stops and citations for petty infractions.
Wilson, who has said Brown hit him in the face and reached for his gun during an altercation, also was cleared by a Missouri grand jury in November and later resigned from the police force.
The city now must figure out how to fix the racial biases that the feds say are firmly rooted in the police department, court and jail.
Similar probes of troubled police agencies have led to the appointment of independent monitors and overhauls in police practices.
“It’s quite evident that change is coming down the pike. This is encouraging,” said John Gaskin III, a St. Louis community activist. “It’s so unfortunate that Michael Brown had to be killed. But in spite of that, I feel justice is coming.”
Brown’s killing sparked weeks of protests and a national debate about police use of force and cops’ relations with minorities.
With Post Wire Services