Prosecutors announced that the police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown in self-defense would not be facing charges.
2014 Shooting of Michael Brown Led to BLM
Darren Wilson fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in August 2014 after the teenager violently robbed a nearby store.
Brown’s death ignited division and had some claim that racism was a culprit in his demise despite no evidence of that whatsoever. The Black Lives Matter movement founding was spurred in response to this, BBC News reports.
Because Officer Wilson is White and Brown is Black, an outcry of anger occurred and some claimed racial injustice was the reason he was shot.
Brown and Officer Get in a Tussle
The shooting happened after Wilson told Brown and another individual not to walk in the middle of the street. Wilson then said Brown came at him aggressively and tried to take his gun.
Brown’s death brought on violent riots in Ferguson, which resembles closely the riots that have been occurring around the country due to the death of George Floyd.
After considering the evidence, a St. Louis County grand jury decided against charging Wilson in November 2014. The U.S. Department of Justice also declined to indict him in March 2015.
BLM members and Brown’s parents were hopeful that the county’s first Black prosecutor, Wesley Bell, who took office in January 2019, would decide differently.
Third Investigation Clears Wilson Again
Bell decided against bringing charges against Wilson, which is the third time where an investigation took place and prosecutors decided against charging the officer.
Wesley Bell Will Not Charge Darren Wilson https://t.co/rDwcgcy1U6 pic.twitter.com/kgq9FS4RZo
— St. Louis Public Radio (@stlpublicradio) July 30, 2020
The prosecuting attorney said his office conducted a thorough five-month investigation and looked through evidence.
“The question for this office was a simple one: Could we prove beyond a reasonable doubt that when Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown, he committed murder or manslaughter under Missouri law? After an independent and in-depth review of the evidence, we cannot prove that he did,” Bell said.
He did add that “our investigation does not exonerate Darren Wilson.”
No Crime Committed Clearly
Wilson’s attorney, Jim Tower, stated the obvious – that after three thorough investigations, it is clear that Wilson acted in self-defense and did nothing wrong.
So this case has been investigated three times now and Wilson was cleared all three times. But that won't stop the hacks and morons from still pretending that Michael Brown was an innocent angel murdered by a racist cop. https://t.co/X2oRemFHKv
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) July 31, 2020
“We all had the same conclusion: There was no crime,” Towey said. “I am just hoping that everybody gets to have some closure, particularly the Brown family.”