August 12, 2014
Zaina Kahuk
News Writer
Headlines
Authorities are withholding the identity of the police officer who fatally shot an unarmed teen three days ago in Missouri, due to the number of threats made against the officer on social media. “If we come out and say, ‘it was this officer,’ then he immediately becomes a target,” Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson said. “We’re taking the threats seriously.” Witnesses say Michael Brown, 18, had raised his hands to surrender when the shots were fired. Protestors gathered outside of the St. Louis County Police Department’s Clayton headquarters, promising a peaceful outcome. Jackson states protesters threw rocks at police, and that gunfire came from the crowd. Officers used tear gas and shot “beanbag rounds” meant to stun them. Fifteen people were arrested. President Obama called Brown’s death “heartbreaking,” and he sent “deepest condolences” to his family and the community “at this very difficult time,” in a statement he made on Tuesday.
