The FBI and Justice Department are opening parallel investigations into the shooting death of Michael Brown by a Ferguson, MO police officer on August 9.
Justice officials are “aggressively pursuing” their separate inquiry into the shooting, which U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says is “critical for preserving trust between law enforcement and communities they serve.” Holder has asked that federal attorneys look into whether Brown’s civil rights were violated in the matter.
This announcement came during a protest that involved hundreds of people gathering outside the Ferguson Police Department on Monday. The demonstrators chanted, “Hands up! Don’t shoot!” which is an allusion to reports that unarmed Brown was surrendering to police when he was killed.
“After last night, we can’t let our guard down,” Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson told the Los Angeles Times. Jackson said he planned to identify the suspended officer involved in Brown’s shooting after he contacts him, in the event that the officer wanted to go elsewhere for his own safety.
But in the wake of Brown’s killing, more life-threatening situations have plagued the city. Jackson said that Sunday night he was in protective gear in the parking lot outside Walmart with Jon Belmar, the chief of St. Louis County police, when a passing vehicle pointed a light at Jackson. He said he then heard three gunshots.
Looting has occurred in St. Louis, as well, with the unrest resulting in the first day of school being canceled Monday, with school officials saying they were concerned for student safety.
In a news release, the Jennings school district said, “Safety is our uppermost concern…At this time we do not feel it’s safe for our students to walk to school.”
On Monday morning, the NAACP released a statement encouraging state and local branches to seek answers about Brown’s shooting.
Ferguson Mayor James Knowles pledged in a televised interview that “justice will be served,” saying that he wants the people of Ferguson to “have faith in the process.”
Piaget Crenshaw, who claims to have witnessed the incident said: “I witnessed the police chase after the guy , full force. He ran for his life. They shot him and he fell. He put his arms up to let them know that he was compliant and he was unarmed, and they shot him twice more and he fell to the ground and died.
Brown’s mother said she didn’t understand why police didn’t subdue him with a club or Taser. Witnesses say they didn’t see Brown do anything to warrant the shooting.