The family of an unarmed black teenager killed by a police officer in the US state of Missouri has called for justice for their son.
The father of Michael Brown, 18, told reporters their son was a "good boy" who "deserved none of this".
The FBI and the US justice department's civil rights division has opened an investigation into the shooting.
US Attorney General Eric Holder has said the case deserves a "fulsome review".
The justice department has also sent its community relations team to the area.
Thirty-two people were arrested on Sunday after unrest broke out in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson following Brown's death.
People looted shops, vandalised cars and stores, and set a building alight as police tried to block off access to several areas of the city.
Shops were looted and cars vandalised
The killing has drawn comparisons by some civil rights leaders with the 2012 killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by a Florida neighbourhood watch organiser who was acquitted of murder charges.
In a statement, Mr Holder said "aggressively pursuing investigations such as this is critical for preserving trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve".
He added that local authorities "should be prepared to complete a thorough, fair investigation in their own right".
Police say Brown was shot on Saturday afternoon in the mainly black suburb of St Louis.
He was shot several times after a struggle in a police car, they said.
County Police Chief Jon Belmar said the shooting occurred after the officer encountered two men, including Mr Brown, on a street in Ferguson.
Mr Belmar said one of the men pushed the officer back into his squad car and a struggle began.
A petrol station was plundered and set on fire after the killing of Michael Brown 
Mourners paid their respects at the spot where Michael Brown was killed on Sunday At least one shot was fired from the officer's gun inside the police car, Mr Belmar said, and then the officer shot several more times as Brown ran away.
A friend of Brown's, Dorian Johnson, gave a different version of events.
He told local broadcaster WALB a police officer told them to get out of the street and onto the sidewalk, and when they continued walking, the officer confronted them.
After the officer fired, Mr Johnson said, he and Brown ran away.
"He shot again, and once my friend felt that shot, he turned around and put his hands in the air and he started to get down," Mr Johnson said. "But the officer still approached with his weapon drawn and fired several more shots."
Neither young man had a weapon on them, he told the broadcaster.
A resident on the street where the shooting occurred told the Associated Press news agency Brown had been "giving up in the sense of raising his arms and being subdued", but then the police officer stood over him and shot him after he was wounded.
Shops and other businesses in Ferguson were looted and vandalised late on Sunday 
Protesters have called for the police officer to be prosecuted with murder Police have not commented on such eyewitness reports, citing their ongoing investigation.
The officer involved has been with the Ferguson police department for six years, and has been placed on paid administrative leave, Mr Belmar said.
On Monday, dozens of residents marched through the streets demanding justice, while others cleaned up vandalised areas.
As residents began the task of cleaning up, some said they believed the violence was not over.
DeAndre Smith, 30, of Ferguson told the St Louis Post-Dispatch that the rioting reflected a sense of injustice in the community.
"I don't think it's over honestly," he said. "I just think they got a taste of what fighting back means."
Mayor James Knowles said he understood that people "want to vent their frustrations. We understand they want to speak out", but he added: "We're going to obviously try to urge calm."
Missouri teen's family demands justice
Put the internet to work for you.
0 comments:
Post a Comment