Activists crowded into a Missouri church Sunday to demand the arrest of the white police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black 18-year-old in August, sparking weeks of protest and a national debate on policing and race. "We're calling for the immediate arrest of Officer Darren Wilson," said Rev. Carlton Lee, the pastor of the Flood Christian Church in Country Club Hills, Missouri, a community adjacent to the city of Ferguson, where Michael Brown was shot dead on Aug. 9.
Brown's parents, who did not speak at the 3:30 p.m. ET event, stood solemnly behind Rev. Lee. The slain teen's father, Michael Brown Sr., wore a t-shirt that said "Arrest Him Now" above a photo of Wilson. Rev. Lee said officials should "bypass" a grand jury that is reviewing evidence in the shooting death of Brown, and instead immediately charge Wilson in Brown's death. Anthony Gray, the Brown family attorney, stressed that the activists calling for Wilson's arrest were not "anti-police," and that they merely wanted to see justice served for Brown's surviving relatives.
In an interview with The Associated Press last Saturday, Brown's parents said they were unmoved by an apology the Ferguson police chief gave weeks after Brown was killed. "An apology would be when Darren Wilson has handcuffs, processed and charged with murder," Brown Sr. said.
IN-DEPTH
- Michael Brown's Parents Unmoved by Ferguson Chief's Apology
- Case Involving Arrest by Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson on Hold