Fire destroys memorial to teenager in Ferguson

Associated Press

FERGUSON, Mo.

Anger spilled over Tuesday after fire destroyed one of two memorials on the street where Michael Brown was killed, a site that has become sacred to many in Ferguson and others nationwide focused on interactions between minorities and police.

How the fire happened wasn’t immediately clear, but it stoked fresh resentment among those who question whether the shooting of the unarmed, black 18-year-old by a white Ferguson police officer Aug. 9 is being adequately investigated.

“It’s the same as if somebody came and desecrated a grave,” Anthony Levine of Florissant, another St. Louis suburb, said as he studied the charred scene and shook his head.

Many who gathered at the site Tuesday blamed police for the blaze, even as the chief said officers did everything they could to keep the stuffed animals and other items from burning.

More than six weeks after Brown’s death, residents and others remain upset about the way his body lay in the street for more than four hours while police investigated the shooting. Many insist he was trying to surrender, with his hands up.

They’re also angry that the officer who shot him, Darren Wilson, remains free and on paid administrative leave while a state grand jury weighs whether Wilson should face criminal charges. The Justice Department also is investigating.