Under pressure from Washington, the computer-hacking collective known as Anonymous, and a spiraling public-relations meltdown, the police department of embattled Ferguson, MO, identified officer Darren Wilson as the law enforcement official involved in the fatal shooting of unarmed African-American teen Michael Brown.

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The move comes a week after the death of Brown, and days after Anonymous wrongly identified another man as the shooter. 

Along with identifying Wilson, Ferguson police chief Thomas Jackson also released footage of Brown allegedly taking part in the robbery of a convenience store before he died. But little information about the circumstances of the shooting itself was released in the new revelations, angering local civic leaders. Officer Wilson is a six-year veteran with the police and was awarded a service medal in February. After the Brown shooting, he was been placed on administrative leave and no charges have been filed against him as of this writing. 

In the released video, Brown, 18, is seen entering a store last Saturday with a friend and shoplifting cigars. When confronted by the proprietor, Brown pushed the man into a display rack and left. He was shot 15 minutes later by Officer Wilson, who does not appear in the footage.

Brown family lawyer Benjamin Crump told reporters that he and family "are flabbergasted" that video of Brown was released, but not of Wilson. 

"The police are playing games here and the parents are beyond incensed with the way that the police are handling the distribution of information," Mr. Crump said. "The police are not being transparent and they are strategically trying to justify this execution-style murder."​ 

Citing concerns for the safety of Wilson and his family from retributive attacks, Chief Jackson had refused to name the officer or officers involved with Brown's death.That recalcitrance prompted demonstrators and prompted civil rights groups to go to court to sue for its release. Death threats to both Wilson and his family were posted on social media. 

After several days of vandalism and unrest, Ferguson, whose population is majority African American but whose police force is predominantly white, returned to a state of calm on Thursday, although many worry the latest information on the case may flare up tension once more. Police, under the auspices of the St. Louis Police Dept.,  have come under harsh criticism for their heavy-handed riot-control tactics, which included military-style armored vehicles.

In hopes of easing volatility, Missouri Governor Nixon wrested security protocols away from the SLPD in favor of the Missouri Highway Patrol. By Thursday, the armored vehicles had been removed. 

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