As unrest continued for the fifth night in Ferguson, Missouri, hacker collective Anonymous disclosed Thursday what it claims is the name of the police officer who shot and killed Mike Brown on Saturday, The New York Times reported.
The name of the officer released by Anonymous was not immediately confirmed, but the St. Louis County Police said the name was "not even an officer with St. Louis County or in Ferguson."
Anonymous said it would publish additional information, including the officer's photograph, if the department didn't respond to the hacker group. The St. Louis County Police Department is overseeing the death of the 18-year-old.
In the past, Anonymous hackers have seized data that is unreliable, casting doubts on the truthfulness of the officer's supposed name, CNN reported. The group also hacked into police department computers and obtained audio of police dispatches the day of the shooting.
Citing safety concerns for the officer and his family after threats were levied over social media, the Ferguson Police Department has refused to release the name of the officer.
Ferguson was hit by another uprising of protests over the death of Brown on Wednesday. The limited release of information about the shooting, especially the anonymity the officer holds, has caused tensions in the mostly African-American community to boil over.
Police officers armed with riot gear in armored trucks showed up to suppress protestors who were in the streets near the scene of the shooting. Some protestors threw Molotov cocktails at officers and tried to start fires. Police used tear gas on demonstrators and some residents said rubber bullets had hit them. One officer suffered a broken ankle after being hit by a brick, The New York Times reported. Mayhem in the St. Louis suburb has been well documented on social media, especially Twitter.
Two reporters who were in the town covering the protests said they were arrested on accusations of trespassing, and were later released without charges or any explanation as to how they broke any laws. The journalists were with The Washington Post and The Huffington Post.
