'I will f***ing kill you': Police officer threaters Ferguson protesters
A police officer has been suspended for threatening to kill a protester in Ferguson, where citizens continue to take to the streets after the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager.
The Missouri American Civil Liberties Union (MACLU) argued Lieutenant Ray Albers had heightened racial tensions in the St Louis suburb after video emerged of the officer pointing an automatic rifle at a protester, shouting "I will f***ing kill you! Get back! Get back!"
The video begins as a large group of peaceful protesters march in support of Michael Brown, the 18-year-old teen shot six times by police while he was unarmed.
"Gun raised, gun raised and pointed," a protestor shouts to others as officer Albers approaches.
"My hands are up," another protestor says.
"I will f***ing kill you, get back!" Albers is heard shouting.
Another protestor asks for Albers to identify himself.
"What's your name, sir?" he asks.
"Go f*** yourself," Albers replies.
St Louis County Police later released a statement saying Albers was dealt with by a nearby sergeant who "immediately took action, forcing the officer to lower the weapon, and escorting him away from the area".
"The St Ann Police Officer involved in the incident has been relieved of duty and suspended indefinitely," the statement read.
The new controversy comes as Attorney General Eric Holder sought to reassure the people of Ferguson about the investigation into Michael Brown's death and said he understands why many black Americans do not trust police, recalling how he was repeatedly stopped by officers who seemed to target him because of his race.
Holder made the remarks during a visit to the St. Louis suburb that has endured more than a week of unrest fueled by the fatal shooting of the black 18-year-old by a white officer. The Obama administration intended the trip to underscore its commitment to civil rights in general and the Ferguson case in particular.
The attorney general described how he was stopped twice on the New Jersey Turnpike and accused of speeding. Police searched his car, going through the trunk and looking under the seats.
"I remember how humiliating that was and how angry I was and the impact it had on me," Holder said during a meeting with about 50 community leaders at the Florissant campus of St. Louis Community College.
Holder also met with federal officials investigating Michael Brown's August 9 death and with Brown's parents.
While living in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, Holder was once running to catch a movie with his cousin when a squad car rolled up and flashed its lights at the pair. The officer yelled, "Where are you going? Hold it!" Holder recalled.
His cousin "started mouthing off," and Holder urged him to be quiet.
"We negotiate the whole thing, and we walk to our movie. At the time that he stopped me, I was a federal prosecutor. I wasn't a kid," he said.
Holder also met briefly with Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson, who has been in charge of security in the community for nearly a week. The National Guard has also been called in to help keep the peace.
Asked whether he had confidence in the local investigation of the police officer, Johnson said Holder's presence "is a guarantee on that."
Morning news break – August 21
