Ferguson police identify officer who fatally shot Michael Brown as Darren Wilson

Ferguson Police Chief release officer's name that shot and killed Michael Brown

Story by Yahoo News
Written by Jason Sickles
Video by ABC News

FERGUSON, Mo. — After withholding his name for nearly a week, the Ferguson Police Department on Friday publicly identified the white patrol officer who recently shot and killed an unarmed black teen.

Chief Thomas Jackson said Darren Wilson was the officer who shot 18-year-old Michael Brown multiple times following a brief skirmish in which police say the teen tried to take the officer's gun.

The chief provided few details about Wilson other than to say he has been with the department for six years and has no history of disciplinary action.

Wilson has been on administrative leave since the fatal shooting, which has sparked several days of clashes with furious protesters and drawn national attention.

The chief made Friday's announcement after initially declining to the release the name, saying the officer had received numerous death threats.

Chief Jackson declined to take reporters' questions at a news conference.

Instead, the chief told reporters that members of his department would be handing out copies of a police report from the strong-arm robbery of a convenience store that occurred prior to Brown being shot by Wilson. During his prepared remarks, the chief said Wilson first approached Brown because he fit the description of the suspect sought in the store robbery.

"I cannot discuss the investigation about the attempted apprehension of the suspect in the strong-arm robbery," he said. "That goes to the county prosecutor's office."