Attorney General Eric Holder said Monday that the federal investigation into the shooting of Michael Brown is still underway and remains independent of the local probe.
“Though we have shared information with local prosecutors during the course of our investigation, the federal inquiry has been independent of the local one from the start, and remains so now,” Holder said in a statement released after a state prosecutor in Missouri announced a gran jury had declined to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. “And although federal civil rights law imposes a high legal bar in these types of cases, we have resisted forming premature conclusions.”
Holder called Brown’s death a “tragedy” and said that the Justice Department will “work with law enforcement, civil rights, faith and community leaders across the country to foster effective relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve and to improve fairness in the criminal justice system overall.”
He echoed President Obama’s calls for Ferguson protesters to refrain from violence in response to the St. Louis County grand jury decision.
“Though there will be disagreement with the grand jury’s decision not to indict, this feeling should not lead to violence,” Holder said. “It does not honor his memory to engage in violence or looting. In the coming days, it will likewise be important for local law enforcement authorities to respect the rights of demonstrators, and deescalate tensions by avoiding excessive displays—and uses—of force.”
