WALKING FREE
St Louis prosecutor announces he will NOT charge white ex-cop who shot black teen Michael Brown dead
THE white ex-cop who fatally shot black teen Michael Brown nearly six years ago will not be charged, a St Louis prosecutor announced on Thursday.
Brown, 18, died in August 2014 when he was shot by Darren Wilson.
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Brown's death sparked public outrage and months of protests in Ferguson, as demonstrators called for an end to police brutality.
Amid the death of and mass support for the movement, civil rights leaders and Brown's mother hoped the case would be reopened.
Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell announced on Thursday, however, that after a five-month review of the case, he would not reopen it.
Bell called it “one of the most difficult things I’ve had to do," The Associated Press reported.
He said “we cannot prove that [Wilson] did” commit murder or manslaughter after reviewing witness statements, forensic reports, and other evidence.
Bell took office in January 2019.
His predecessor, Robert McCulloch, brought together a grand jury in the incident, which ultimately decided not to indict Wilson, the reported.
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Wilson has never been charged in the incident.
Brown was shot after Wilson told the teen and a friend to get out of the road.
The ex-cop and Brown got in a scuffle, and the teen was fatally shot.
Wilson alleged that Brown came toward him menacingly, and claimed self-defense.
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Some people claimed that Brown had his hands up, surrendering when the fatal shot occurred.
A grand jury and the Department of Justice did not find the claims were credible, however.
Brown's body was left in the street for more than four hours after he was shot, sparking outrage.
The prosecutor's announcement came amid ongoing protests across the nation following the death of Floyd, an unarmed black man.
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Floyd, 46, died on May 25 when ex- cop was seen kneeling on his neck during an arrest.
Video of the incident showed Floyd saying "I can't breathe" multiple times – but Chauvin did not move his knee.
The incident sparked public outrage, as demonstrators have shown support for the Black Lives Matter movement and called for an end to systemic racism and police brutality.
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