FERGUSON, MO, AUGUST 22 (RIA Novosti) – A major US civil rights group has said St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch has a pro-police bias and should be removed from the case of the police shooting of an unarmed African-American teenager, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.
Cornell William Brooks, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), called for a special prosecutor in the case of Mike Brown, an unarmed teen, who was shot dead on a residential street on August 9.
“Justice rests in the hands of one person: St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch, a man with deep personal, family, and professional ties to the local police department,” Brooks said. “This is the man who is supposed to remain unbiased, present evidence to a grand jury, and bring charges against the officer.”
Others have questioned McCulloch’s ability to remain impartial since his father, mother and other relatives worked for St. Louis police. His father was killed while responding to a call involving an African-American suspect and some of his previous decisions on race-sensitive cases have been controversial.
“It is impossible to believe he can remain unbiased in this case. So far, local investigators and law enforcement have been slow to speak to witnesses, eager to arrest journalists and attack peaceful protesters,” added Brooks. “Does this seem unbiased to you?”
Ferguson, a predominantly African-American suburb of St Louis of some 21,000 residents, has been shaken by often violent protests since Brown’s killing. There were fewer arrests on Wednesday night as protests dwindled following a visit from Attorney General Eric Holder, who promised a federal probe to complement local investigations.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon withdrew National Guard troops on Thursday. Law enforcers have been criticized for bringing military tactics to civilian protests, toting assault rifles and using tear gas, rubber bullets and other heavy-handed measures.
