Cops issue denial as hackers name Missouri teen shooter
Print Edition
US Authorities in Missouri yesterday stood by their earlier decision to withhold the name of the police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager, but denied he was the person identified online by a hacker activist.
Demonstrators and the family of the victim, 18-year-old Michael Brown, have called on police to release the name of the officer, but officials have refused to do so, citing security concerns.
Among the concerns, they said, are online threats from the hacker group Anonymous, which has said it would release personal information about the police officer involved and yesterday identified him by name in a Twitter post.
Edward Magee, a spokesman for the St Louis County prosecutor’s office, which is investigating the shooting, said the name posted online was incorrect.
“We can’t let anonymous groups or even public groups pressure us into doing anything we don’t think we should do,” Magee said.
In Ferguson, protesters have gathered every night since Brown was fatally shot last Saturday in the mostly black suburb of St Louis during what authorities said was a struggle over a gun in a police car. Some witnesses say he was outside the car with his hands up.
Police in Ferguson fired tear gas, stun grenades and smoke bombs on Wednesday night to disperse some 350 protesters, the fourth night of racially charged demonstrations.
Protesters say the lack of transparency by police investigating the incident — including the refusal to release the officer’s name — have added to already high tensions.
Magee said the officer’s name will be made public if he is charged. Even if he is not arrested, his name will be released after the investigation because of the high public interest, Magee added.
The officer has been placed on administrative leave.
Anonymous, which has also called for protests across the United States over the situation in Ferguson, said it would release the officer’s photo and other “damaging information” about him later in the day.
President Barack Obama has called for a peaceful response to the shooting.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon urged law enforcement to respect rights of residents and press with the hopes that the “ongoing crisis” does not compound Saturday’s “tragedy.”
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