Officials on Friday morning named the Ferguson police officer who allegedly murdered Michael Brown after a week of protesters calling for the name and violently clashing with police in the Missouri town.
Darren Wilson has served as a police officer for six years with no prior disciplinary action taken against him, the police chief said in a press conference.
Mr. Wilson had responded to a call in another part of Ferguson on Saturday when he heard about a violent robbery nearby and got a description of the alleged robber.
On his way to the robbery, he encountered Mr. Brown near the scene of the robbery around noon and shot the teen. Analysts speculated on CNN that the police chief gave detailed information about the robbery because Mr. Brown may have matched the description of the robber.
The police chief took no questions, but did pass out dispatch records and video footage of the robbery to reporters on the scene. He said he planned to hold another news conference Friday afternoon to answer questions once reporters had time to digest the information.
Mr. Wilson allegedly shot and killed the 18-year-old an unarmed black man on Saturday, causing protests to erupt in the town for several days.
Videos showed local police patrolling the streets in armored vehicles with snipers leveled at protesters. Police also used tear gas and rubber bullets against both press and protesters, causing some to call for the demilitarization of local police forces.
