The process that resulted in a grand jury deciding not to indict a police officer in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown was unfair and "broken,"a lawyer representing the teen’s family said Tuesday.
Attorney Benjamin Crump told reporters Tuesday that the family's legal team objected to the decision by St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch to call a grand jury in the case and not appoint a special prosecutor.
"We object publicly and as loudly we can, on behalf of Michael Brown Jr.'s family that this process is broken," Crump said. "We could forsee what the outcome was going to be, and that's exactly what occurred last night."
The family's lawyers, along with civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton, spoke to the media hours after a grand jury decided not to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of Brown.
Wilson, who is white, shot the unarmed black 18-year-old on Aug. 9 in Ferguson, Mo., after encountering Brown and a friend on the street. Wilson says the teen became violent and punched him inside his police car. Wilson says he fired his weapon inside the car and Brown fled, but Wilson gave chase. Accounts vary as to what happened next, but Wilson fatally shot Brown during the encounter. Brown’s body fell about 153 feet from Wilson’s vehicle.
Wilson remains on administrative leave, Ferguson Mayor James Knowles said Tuesday.
The jury's decision sparked protests and riots late Monday in Ferguson, where a number of cars were burned and businesses vandalized. Protests were also held in several other American cities, including New York, Atlanta, Baltimore, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
McCulloch said during Monday’s announcement that the grand jury of nine white people and three black people came to its decision after hearing more than 70 hours of testimony from 60 witnesses and forensic experts on 25 separate days. He said the jury heard testimony from three medical examiners, as well as experts on blood, toxicology and firearms.
McCulloch said there were a number of inconsistencies and erroneous witness accounts in the case, but did not mention that Brown was unarmed at the time of the shooting.
Crump said the system needs to be changed so that anyone with a potential conflict of interest is not working on the case.
"We pray that prosecutors will say 'We want people to believe in the system,'" the Brown family lawyer said. "And if that means appointing a special prosecutor who has no relationship with the accused officers, that you do so.
"The legacy to Michael Brown Jr. should be that instead of just striving to make a lot of noise, we strive to make a difference.”
Anthony Gray, another lawyer representing the Brown family, said the legal team will fight to have a proposed "Michael Brown" law passed.
The proposed law would require U.S. police officers to wear body cameras so that any similar incidents would be "transparent," Gray said.
"(That way) we won't have to play this game of witnesses, memories and secret grand jury proceedings – it will just be transparent," he said.
Gray accused McCulloch of presenting testimony from witnesses who did not see the shooting as a tactic to discredit the process.
“We said from the very beginning that the decision of this grand jury was going to be the direct reflection of the presentation of the evidence by the prosecutor’s office,” he said.
Sharpton praises peaceful protesters, vows to fight on
Veteran activist Sharpton said there were several flaws in the grand jury process, and accused McCulloch of trying to "discredit" Brown's character.
He vowed to keep fighting on behalf of Brown and his family, and reminded reporters that there is still an ongoing federal investigation.
"Let the record be clear: You have broken our hearts, but you have not broken our backs," Sharpton said to rousing applause. "We will continue to fight for a new level of accountability for policing in this country."
The reverend took time to disassociate the peaceful protesters from the rioters who torched cars and businesses in Ferguson Monday night after the decision was announced.
"For over 100 days, young people, older people, people of all races marched and rallied in this city and they did it peacefully and non-violently," he said, noting that these protesters were on "Brown's side."
He added: "Those that got violent last night, those who acted in a destructive manner do not represent the spirit of Michael Brown… those that burn are on their own side."
With files from The Associated Press
