The US Justice Department may not prosecute police officer Darren Wilson who fatally shot dead black 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO., last year. The FBI found no evidence to support charges against Wilson, and Justice Department lawyers recommend that no civil rights charges be brought against the white officer after concluding investigations.
In spite of these recommendations, it is left to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and Vanita Gupta, his civil rights chief, to finally determine if they want to close the case against officer Wilson. If they choose not to close the case against the said officer, it would appear very unusual to overrule the recommendation of prosecutors who worked on the case.
Although the open case has allowed for the politically-charged investigation of Mr. Wilson, closing the case will put an end to all investigations. However, a civil rights investigation by the Justice Department against the Ferguson Police Department on allegations of discriminatory traffic stops and excessive force will remain open; and the results of the investigations could warrant significant changes within the department which is white-dominated but serving a mostly black community.
“We’ve heard speculation on cases before that didn’t turn out to be true,” said Benjamin L. Crump, the lawyer for Brown’s family. “It’s too much to put the family through to respond to every rumor.” He did not want to make comments until the Justice Department announced its decision. But then, Mr. Wilson’s lawyer failed to return calls for comment.