BBC Online :
The name of the Ferguson, Missouri, police officer who killed an unarmed black teenager, sparking days of protests, will be released on Friday, the local police chief has said.
Thomas Jackson told US media the revelation would “make things better”.
The shooting of Michael Brown, 18, on Saturday sparked outraged protests.
For days heavily armed police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, but on Thursday, tension eased when state police took charge of security.
The change in command was announced earlier in the day by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, after local police were roundly criticised for their heavy-handed response to the protests.
“We’re going to have to regain trust,” said Nixon, a Democrat.
Capt Ronald Johnson of the Missouri Highway Patrol, an African-American who grew up nearby, was named as the new head of the operation.
As he walked at the front of a march through the streets on Thursday, Capt Johnson was seen hugging people he met. “We all want justice. We all want answers,” he said.
In addition to the simple outrage at the killing of a young man, residents of Ferguson, a small suburb of St Louis, have been angered at the local police department’s refusal to identify the officer who shot Brown.
Thomas Jackson, of the local police department, had said he was withholding the name due to fears for the safety of the officer and his family. But on Friday morning, he told US television news networks he would release the name later in the day.
“We’re learning and we’re moving forward,” Jackson told ABC News. “This all starts now to heal, to just make things better.”
The transformation over the past 24 hours here has been extraordinary. For days, there had been unrest and confrontation between a largely white police force and young, black protesters.
But the images of police in military gear and armoured vehicles out in Missouri shocked many Americans, led to criticism from officials, and clearly led to a change in tactics. Overnight the police presence was minimal. Black officers took the lead and were greeted with handshakes by people who poured onto the streets, now without fear of intimidation.
The name of the Ferguson, Missouri, police officer who killed an unarmed black teenager, sparking days of protests, will be released on Friday, the local police chief has said.
Thomas Jackson told US media the revelation would “make things better”.
The shooting of Michael Brown, 18, on Saturday sparked outraged protests.
For days heavily armed police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, but on Thursday, tension eased when state police took charge of security.
The change in command was announced earlier in the day by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, after local police were roundly criticised for their heavy-handed response to the protests.
“We’re going to have to regain trust,” said Nixon, a Democrat.
Capt Ronald Johnson of the Missouri Highway Patrol, an African-American who grew up nearby, was named as the new head of the operation.
As he walked at the front of a march through the streets on Thursday, Capt Johnson was seen hugging people he met. “We all want justice. We all want answers,” he said.
In addition to the simple outrage at the killing of a young man, residents of Ferguson, a small suburb of St Louis, have been angered at the local police department’s refusal to identify the officer who shot Brown.
Thomas Jackson, of the local police department, had said he was withholding the name due to fears for the safety of the officer and his family. But on Friday morning, he told US television news networks he would release the name later in the day.
“We’re learning and we’re moving forward,” Jackson told ABC News. “This all starts now to heal, to just make things better.”
The transformation over the past 24 hours here has been extraordinary. For days, there had been unrest and confrontation between a largely white police force and young, black protesters.
But the images of police in military gear and armoured vehicles out in Missouri shocked many Americans, led to criticism from officials, and clearly led to a change in tactics. Overnight the police presence was minimal. Black officers took the lead and were greeted with handshakes by people who poured onto the streets, now without fear of intimidation.
