The FBI Is Opening an Investigation Into the Michael Brown Shooting

The FBI is opening a civil rights investigation into the weekend shooting of Ferguson, Missouri teenager Michael Brown.

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The Washington Post is reporting that the F.B.I. is opening up a case on the Saturday afternoon shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. While the feds won't be taking over the investigation from the St. Louis County Police Department, they will be launching a separate investigation into whether there were civil rights violations.

In the aftermath of the shooting, protestors took the streets in Ferguson, demanding details from the police department and criticizing the handling of the situation. Police Chief Jon Belmar issued a statement alleging a struggle over the involved officer's gun, which led to an accidental discharge of the firearm and, after another struggle, Brown's eventual death.

The public was left unconvinced by this explanation, especially in the wake of witness testimonies that said Brown had surrendered to the officer by raising his arms. Uncertainty over the handling of the case bubbled over into unrest at a candlelight vigil for Brown on Sunday night, and a new online petition has been started asking President Obama to create laws protecting pedestrians from police violence. 

It appears that the FBI is similarly unconvinced, and the investigation will hopefully uncover more details from the shooting. Whether they will or not is another question, but for more on this story as it develops, stay tuned to Complex News. 

[via Washington Post]

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