Missouri Governor Jay Nixon Admits Even He Doesn't Know Who Killed Michael Brown

Missouri Governor Admits Even He Doesn't Know Who Killed Michael Brown

For all the people who are frustrated that the name of the police officer who shot Michael Brown has not yet been released, don't look to Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) for help.

"I don't know the name of who the officer is. I'm not conducting either of the investigations," Nixon said during a press conference Thursday.

He added, however, that he would ultimately like to see the name released.

"I would hope that the appropriate release of that name -- with the security around it, if necessary, to make sure that there's not additional acts of violence -- be done as expeditiously as possible," he stated. "There's certainly, in my view, methods and abilities to do that. I'm not sure litigation is the best method...but I think it would be an important milestone here to get that out as expeditiously as possible."

The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri filed requests Tuesday to obtain a copy of the police report naming the officer who shot Brown, the unarmed black teenager killed Saturday in Ferguson, Missouri.

Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson had originally said he would release the officer's name, but later decided against it, citing death threats that he said were coming into the police department.

Nixon declined to comment Thursday when asked whether the incident report should be released.

Anger in this St. Louis suburb has continued to grow over the police department's handling of the situation, including that it has not yet released additional details about the shooting. Officers have been out in Ferguson in recent nights dressed in full riot gear and using tear gas and rubber bullets.

Nixon's press conference came after he was heavily criticized on social media Wednesday night for being silent during the protests. He eventually announced he would be canceling his appearance at the Missouri State Fair on Thursday to deal with the situation in Ferguson.

The governor also announced Thursday that he was putting the Missouri Highway Patrol in charge of security in Ferguson, taking the responsibility away from the St. Louis County Police Department.

This piece was updated with additional quotes.

See updates on the situation in Ferguson below:

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