Black teen Michael Brown’s shooting by police ‘a tragedy’, Obama says
Missouri shooting victim’s father calls for peace after riots
President Barack Obama called the police shooting death of an unarmed black teenager a tragedy on Tuesday and urged a thoughtful response after two nights of violent protests, looting and arrests in a St Louis suburb.
Shortly after midnight on Wednesday, police fired tear gas into protesters that had confronted a line of officers after a far larger crowd dispersed, St Louis County Police Department spokesman Brian Schellman said.
President Obama promised a full investigation by the US Department of Justice into the case, which has provoked outrage in the largely African-American town of Ferguson.
“I know the events of the past few days have prompted strong passions, but ... I urge everyone in Ferguson, Missouri, and across the country, to remember this young man through reflection and understanding,” Obama said in a statement.
Friends and family of 18-year-old Michael Brown held a peaceful church vigil on Tuesday night, after his father pleaded for an end to the violence. Standing with supporters, including the Reverend Al Sharpton, Michael Brown Senior said he wanted justice for his son but wanted it “the right way.”
“I need all of us to come together and do this right, the right way,” said Brown Senior, who wore a T-shirt showing his son’s baby picture. “No violence.”
