Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said Sunday that he wanted to see Ferguson, Mo., police officer Darren Wilson indicted, arguing that a full trial would have been the best way to resolve issues surrounding the shooting death of Michael Brown.
“Without knowing all of the facts, of course I wanted to see an indictment,” Patrick told NBC, adding: “mostly because I think a trial and the transparency of a trial would be good for the community.”
Otherwise, the lack of an indictment will perpetuate the belief in the African-American community “that police officers are not going to be held accountable,” he said.
Patrick was formerly the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for civil rights under President Clinton. He indicated that a federal civil rights suit against Wilson, which the DOJ is currently considering, was unlikely because the legal bar was much higher, making such cases “very difficult” to prosecute.
The 18-year-old Brown was shot and killed by Wilson on Aug. 9. The officer had been attempting to arrest Brown in connection with a convenience store robbery earlier that day. Despite being unarmed, Brown was shot at least six times.
Wilson is white and Brown was African-American. The incident prompted outrage in the city and protests there and across the country. Rioting broke out in Ferguson after a grand jury declined to indict Brown on charges related to the shooting. On Saturday, Wilson resigned from the force, saying his continued presence would put the city and his fellow officers at risk.
