Ferguson shooting victim Michael Brown’s stepfather investigated
Police look into comments made after grand jury did not indict officer who killed his stepson
Police are investigating Michael Brown's stepfather for angry comments on the streets of Ferguson after a grand jury decided not to indict the police officer who fatally shot his unarmed stepson, a spokesman said.
Officials are looking into Louis Head's comments as part of a broader investigation into the arson, vandalism and looting that followed the November 24 grand jury announcement, St Louis County Police spokesman Brian Schellman said on Tuesday. Twelve commercial buildings were destroyed by fire.
Brown, 18, who was black and unarmed, was killed on August 9 by Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson, who is white. Wilson, who resigned from the Ferguson police department over the weekend, had told the grand jury his life was being threatened, but some witnesses said Brown was trying to surrender. Brown's killing sparked weeks of unrest and reignited debate over race relations in America.
Video widely circulated after last week's grand jury announcement shows Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, on top of a car and breaking down as the decision blares over a stereo. Head, her husband, comforts her, then yells angry comments, including: "Burn this bitch down!"
Family attorney Benjamin Crump has called the reaction "raw emotion," but "completely inappropriate". He did not immediately return messages seeking comment on Tuesday.
Head had not yet been interviewed by police, and there was no timetable for when the investigation would be completed, Schellman said.