Update: Chief Jackson: “The initial contact between Michael Brown and the officer did not relate to the robbery.”
Captain Ronald Johnson is clearly trying to maintain the calm he helped bring last night. After the Ferguson police shared information suggesting Michael Brown was suspected of a robbery right before his death, Capt. Johnson pointed out the messaging on that info could have been handled better. He likely realizes that many will perceive the message as blaming the victim or justifying the shooting of the unarmed teen. Of course, that would have stirred up the unrest again.
Mediate reported:
“Captain Ronald Johnson, the Missouri State Highway officer widely credited for restoring peace to the city of Ferguson, was not happy with how the news of Michael Brown’s alleged involvement in a strong-arm robbery prior to his death was presented.
“I think we probably could have said some things a little bit different at that press conference, and maybe given out some information in a different way,” Johnson said calmly in an impromptu interview with KSDK, adding that he was not part of any discussions about how to proceed with the press conference.”
