ST. LOUIS (AP) – Lawyers for the parents of an unarmed, black 18-year-old who was fatally shot by a white police officer in a St. Louis suburb say they plan to file a civil lawsuit Thursday against the city of Ferguson.
Attorneys for the family of Michael Brown announced their plans in a statement Wednesday night.
The lawsuit had been expected. Attorneys for Brown’s mother, Lesley McSpadden, and his father, Michael Brown Sr., said at a press conference in early March that a wrongful death lawsuit would be filed “soon.”
Attorneys said at the time that the lawsuit would also name former Officer Darren Wilson, who shot Brown. The statement Wednesday did not mention Wilson, and a spokesman for the law firm said he could not provide any additional information about the lawsuit.
Brown’s shooting led to sometimes-violent protests and spawned a national “Black Lives Matter” movement calling for changes in how police deal with minorities.