The US Department of Justice will not prosecute a white former police officer in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black 18-year-old whose death in Ferguson, Missouri, sparked weeks of protests and ignited an intense national debate over how the police treats African-Americans.
However, the government released a scathing report on Wednesday that faulted the city for racial bias.
The decision in the Aug. 9 shooting had been expected, in part because of the high legal standard needed for a federal civil rights prosecution.
Former police officer Darren Wilson, who said Michael Brown struck him in the face and reached for his gun during a tussle, was also cleared by a Missouri grand jury in November last year, but later resigned. The grand jury decision prompted street protests that turned violent.
Federal officials concluded there was no evidence to disprove testimony by Wilson that he feared for his safety, nor was there reliable evidence that Brown had his hands up in surrender when he was shot.
The Brown family lawyer, Benjamin Crump, said the family was not surprised, but very disappointed, and one of Brown’s uncles, Charles Ewing, said he believed Wilson was “getting away with it.”
A separate report issued on Wednesday said blacks in Ferguson are disproportionately subject to excessive police force, baseless traffic stops and citations for infractions as petty as walking down the middle of the street.
The Department of Justice issued recommendations to improve the closely aligned police department and court system, including training officers to de-escalate confrontations and better oversight of its recruiting, hiring and promotion procedures.
Federal officials on Wednesday said there were already signs of improvement.
Ferguson Mayor James Knowles said that the city had cooperated with the Department of Justice, adding that some changes had already been made, including a diversity training program for city employees.
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