The Justice Department has ordered an additional autopsy in the death of Michael Brown, the unarmed 18-year-old shot by Ferguson, Missouri police officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9. A spokesman for the department released a statement on Sunday concerning the federal civil rights investigation into the shooting.
“Due to the extraordinary circumstances involved in this case and at the request of the Brown family, Attorney General Holder has instructed Justice Department officials to arrange for an additional autopsy to be performed by a federal medical examiner,” read the statement.
“The independent examination will take place as soon as possible. Even after it is complete, Justice Department officials still plan to take the state-performed autopsy into account in the course of their investigation.”
The turmoil in Ferguson continued early Sunday morning as a state mandated curfew went into place at midnight. Protestors and dozens of police officers in riot gear clashed within the first hour, ending with the arrest of seven people charged with “failure to disperse.” The curfew was lifted at 5 a.m.
The New York Daily News reports one man was shot and critically wounded near the area, but authorities have not identified the victim. It is unclear who shot him, yet officials said it did not appear he was shot by an officer.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced the initial curfew at a news conference on Saturday when he declared a state of emergency.
“This is not to silence the people of Ferguson, but to address those who are drowning out the voice of the people with their actions,” he told reporters at a church in the area.
Photo courtesy of Eric Thayer/The New York Times
“We will not allow a handful of looters to endanger the rest of this community. If we’re going to achieve justice, we must first have and maintain peace.”