MOSCOW, August 24 (RIA Novosti) - US President Barack Obama has ordered a review of outfitting police with arms and military weapons after a police officer fatally shot an unarmed teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, earlier this month, The New York Times wrote Saturday citing senior government officials.
"The review, coupled with proposed legislation and planned congressional hearings, opens the possibility for significant changes in Washington’s approach to arming local law enforcement agencies," the paper writes.
The review concerns military-grade body armor, mine-resistant trucks, silencers and automatic rifles.
The order came two weeks after a police officer killed an African-American teen, Michael Brown, in Ferguson as he walked with a friend on a leafy backstreet on the afternoon of August 9.
The incident sparked a series of violent protests with demonstrators accusing Darren Wilson, the 28-year-old white policeman of killing the teen, including for racial reasons. Ferguson's African-American residents, which make up 65 percent of the town's population, had previously complained of racial discrimination on behalf of the local police.
In the recent rallies, police have been criticized for using military tactics, toting assault rifles and using tear gas, rubber bullets and other heavy-handed measures.
The grand jury began the hearing of evidence on the shooting Wednesday and is expected to decide on the possible charges against Wilson by mid-October. The inquiry hinges on whether Wilson fired in self-defense.
