Darren Wilson, Ferguson, Missouri Cop Who Killed Michael Brown Resigns

FERGUSON, Mo. (Associated Press) — The Ferguson police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown has resigned, his attorney said Saturday, nearly four months after the confrontation between the white officer and unarmed black 18-year-old that ignited protests in the St. Louis suburb and across the nation.

Darren Wilson, who has been on administrative leave since the Aug. 9 shooting, resigned effective immediately, said his attorney, Neil Bruntrager. He declined further immediate comment.

The Brown family attorney, Benjamin Crump, didn't immediately return phone and email messages from The Associated Press.

Wilson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he was stepping down out of his "own free will" after the police department told him it had received threats of violence if he remained an employee.

"I'm not willing to let someone else get hurt because of me," said Wilson, who had been with the department for six years.

Wilson said he had a clean conscience because "I know I did my job right." Brown's shooting was the first time he fired his gun on the job, he said. Asked whether the encounter would have unfolded the same way if Brown had been white, Wilson said yes.

Wilson began his career in nearby Jennings before moving to the Ferguson job a few years ago. He had no previous complaints against him and a good career record, according to Jackson, who called Wilson "an excellent police officer."

A few months before the shooting, Wilson had received a commendation for detaining a suspect in a drug case.

Sports: 50 Cent’s Son Says His Dad Makes Him A Target On The Basketball Court

RadioOnFire.com - 50 cent’s son, Marquise Jackson had his high school basketball highlight reel go viral this week and he has been getting some attention from it. He hasn’t attracted the attention of major colleges yet, but he had drawn interest from some smaller schools. According to him though, he has always got alot of attention on the basketball court being that he is the son of such a superstar in 50, that he feels he is a marked man at times.



Marquise says opposing players love to try and gun for him because of who his father is. They feel they might be making a name for themselves if they can stop him or make him look bad, but he says it actually works in reverse and once kids see he is out there handling himself and bringing it to them, then he is the one who winds up looking good in the end.


He says he hopes the publicity from the mixtape can help him lock up a spot with a big college program — and says he’s hopeful he’ll land a scholarship.

WACTH MARQUISE JACKSON HERE

Busta Rhymes Suffers Cut After Falling Off Stage Head First At Webster Hall In NYC

RadioOnFire.com - Busta Rhymes suffered a head injury after falling off stage during a performance at Webster Hall in New York City on Friday, November 27.

The 42-year old rapper was turning up with his artist O.T. Genasis when he appeared to pass out, before falling head first into the pit.

Busta's team and security quickly went to his aid. He later tweeted that he was doing fine.

WATCH FALL HERE

Chaos In Ferguson: Riots, Arson, Looting Resume After Grand Jury Fails To Indict Cop Darren Wilson In Shooting Death Of Mike Brown

RadioOnFire.com - FERGUSON, Mo. (Associated Press) — Chaos returned to the streets of Ferguson after a grand jury declined to indict a white police officer in the death of Michael Brown — a decision that enraged protesters who set fire to buildings and cars and looted businesses in the area where the unarmed, black 18-year-old was fatally shot.

Smoke billowed from some businesses Tuesday morning and shattered glass covered the sidewalks in front of others, but the streets in Ferguson were mostly clear.

Monday night's destruction appeared to be much worse than protests after August's shootings, with more than a dozen businesses badly damaged or destroyed. Authorities reported hearing hundreds of gunshots, which for a time prevented fire crews from fighting the flames.

There were 61 arrests in Ferguson overnight, many for burglary and trespassing, St. Louis County Police spokesman Brian Schellman said. St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said there were 21 arrests in the city, where some protesters broke business windows along South Grand Avenue.

Jon Belmar, chief of the St. Louis County police, said that unless his agency could bring in 10,000 officers, "I don't think we can prevent folks who really are intent on destroying a community."

The grand jury's decision means that Officer Darren Wilson, who is white, will not face any state criminal charges for killing Brown, whose death inflamed deep racial tensions between many black Americans and police.

Darren Wilson

Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch said the jury of nine whites and three blacks met on 25 separate days over three months, hearing more than 70 hours of testimony from about 60 witnesses, including three medical examiners and experts on blood, toxicology and firearms.

"They are the only people that have heard and examined every witness and every piece of evidence," he said, adding that the jurors "poured their hearts and soul into this process."

In the first flash of unrest after the grand jury announcement, Belmar said he told officers to back off, suggesting they handle the situation as if it were a festival or baseball game. But the situation quickly "spun out of control," as protesters looted businesses and set fire to numerous vehicles, including at least two police cars. Officers eventually lobbed tear gas from inside armored vehicles to disperse crowds.

As McCulloch read his statement, Michael Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, sat atop a vehicle listening to a broadcast of the announcement. When she heard the decision, she burst into tears and began screaming before being whisked away by supporters.

Michael Brown

The crowd with her erupted in anger, converging on the barricade where police in riot gear were standing. They pushed down the barricade and began pelting police with objects, including a bullhorn. Officers stood their ground.

Speaking for nearly 45 minutes, a defensive McCulloch repeatedly cited what he said were inconsistencies and erroneous witness accounts. When asked by a reporter whether any of the accounts amount to perjury, he said, "I think they truly believe that's what they saw, but they didn't."

The prosecutor also was critical of the media, saying "the most significant challenge" for his office was a "24-hour news cycle and an insatiable appetite for something — for anything — to talk about."

McCulloch never mentioned that Brown was unarmed when he was killed.

Brown's family released a statement saying they were "profoundly disappointed" but asked that the public "channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change. We need to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen."

Shortly after the announcement, authorities released more than 1,000 pages of grand jury documents, including Wilson's testimony.

Link to grand jury documents: HERE

Associated Press writers Alan Scher Zagier in Clayton, Andale Gross and Jim Suhr in Ferguson and Catherine Lucey in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report. Follow David A. Lieb at:https://twitter.com/DavidALieb.

Pharrell Suggests The President Should Have Taken A Visit To Ferguson; Calls Mike Brown “Bully-ish”

RadioOnFire.com - At times, the elephant in the room needs to addressed. Pharrell has done that during his latest interview with Ebony Magazine. The popular producer decides that the Ferguson incident served as an issue of high magnitude, which should have pushed Obama into the battle lines of Missouri. 

In addition, Pharrell mentions that with all things bought up by commentators, the discussion should involve Mike Brown’s “bully-ish” ways. Ways that were viewed on the convenience store video footage.

“It looked very bully-ish; that in itself I had a problem with,” P states. “Not with the kid, but with whatever happened in his life for him to arrive at a place where that behavior is OK. Why aren’t we talking about that?”

I do not want to get myself in trouble, but I felt like the president should have gone down there. I think sending Attorney General Eric Holder was a kind gesture, but the president should have gone. He didn’t have to go and take a side; all he needed to do was show his presence and everybody would have straightened up. But he didn’t go. I won’t fault him. He’s a man with a lot of weight on his shoulders, but I personally would have gone because being a “man of the people” means you’re right there with them in it. Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. led by example.

Even with a the high controversy of Pharrell’s statements – which I can’t say that I disagree with – Pharrell also states that nothing about Darren Wilson’s action should have got the pass it did.

I believe that Ferguson officer should be punished and serve time. He used excessive force on a human being who was merely a child. He was a baby, man. The boy was walking in the middle of the street when the police supposedly told him to “get the f–k on the sidewalk.” If you don’t listen to that, after just having pushed a storeowner, you’re asking for trouble. But you’re not asking to be killed. Some of these youth feel hunted and preyed upon, and that’s why that officer needs to be punished.

Check out the full interview with Pharrell and Ebony Magazine here.

Gunshots Rang Out In Ferguson & Black Male Was Found Dead Near Area Where Mike Brown Was Killed

RadioOnFire.com - …and bad news continues to linger among Ferguson natives. Following the decision not to indict officer Darren Wilson, riots broke out with screaming residents and violent groups banning together to make a statement.

Now, reports are showing that a black male, who could be as young as 16 to as old as mid 20s, was found shot to death and burned near Canfield Green Apartments – complex where Mike Brown was shot and killed.

Last evening, gunshots rang out and the black male was one in the crossfire. He was later found in a car with his body burned from a fire someone set; to burn the evidence.

Statement form the St. Louis County Police Department:

“The St. Louis County Police Department is on the 9400 block of Glenn Owen in Ferguson, MO, near the intersection of Windwood and Glenn Owen.
At approximately 9 a.m. today, a citizen reported that an unresponsive man was inside a parked vehicle at that location. Responding officers discovered a deceased male inside the vehicle.
No information on the identity of the man or additional information about the man, ownership of the car or circumstances leading up to the discovery. … Detectives from the St. Louis County Crimes Against Persons are enroute to conduct the investigation.
This incident is currently being classified as a suspicious death and will remain so until evidence allows a different classification. No further information at this time.”

Streets of Ferguson Smolder After Grand Jury Decides Not To Indict Officer

RadioOnFire.com - Ferguson, Missouri -- This is what Ferguson looked like Tuesday morning.

Shattered glass from looted stores covered the asphalt. Shell casings from unknown shooters littered the ground. And more than a dozen buildings, including stores owned by local residents, had been set ablaze.

As protesters hurled bottles, batteries and rocks at police, officers in riot gear responded by shooting bean bags and tear gas.

"This ain't Iraq. This is the United States," Demetric Whitlock yelled to a line of police officers on South Florissant Road, in front of the Ferguson Police Department.

When a grand jury decided Monday not to indict Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson in the August shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, the news triggered fresh confrontations between protesters and police in the tense Missouri city.

While most of the demonstrators peacefully protested on the streets, some smashed the windows of a police cruiser and set another on fire.

An entire row of businesses on West Florissant Avenue, a major thoroughfare, was engulfed in flames. There were so many infernos that firefighters couldn't rush to every one.

Amid the looting and arson, some protesters demanded the media stop reporting on the events. CNN's Sara Sidner was struck in the head with a rock.

Many business owners will return to their shops to see their livelihoods in ruins. Looters broke into a beauty supply store and stole hair weaves and wigs, leaving the heads of mannequins strewn in the middle of the street.

And in nearby Dellwood, some people torched a row of cars at a car dealership and set several businesses on fire.

"The fire district does not feel safe coming out to put out fires because of the gunshots and the looting there taking place," Dellwood Mayor Reggie Jones said. "So they are refusing, basically, to come out and put these fires out."

29 arrested, no serious injuries

Amid the chaos, police made 29 arrests in Ferguson. No officers suffered any serious injuries, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said, and to his knowledge, police didn't cause any serious injuries, either.

But Belmar said he heard at least 100 gunshots go off through the night. Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson said police did not fire any of the bullets.