Police cite threats, won't name cop who shot Mo. teen

FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — The police chief in a St. Louis suburb where a police officer fatally shot an unarmed black teenager said he's holding off on publicly identifying the officer because of death threats.

Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson said he planned to release the officer's name on today but changed course after threats were called into the police department and City Hall, and posted on social media. The officer was placed on administrative leave Saturday after fatally shooting 18-year-old Michael Brown.

"If we come out and say, 'it was this officer,' then he immediately becomes a target," Jackson said. "We're taking the threats seriously."

Jackson didn't disclose specifics of the threats, but he said the decision came after a stream of death threats against the officer and other officers.

The case has stoked racial tension, protests and looting in Ferguson, a predominantly black city with roughly 21,000 residents. Despite calls for calm from Brown's family and civil rights leaders, crowds turned violent for two nights.