Michael Brown's stepfather is being investigated by police authorities for his controversial actions hours after a St. Louis grand jury announced that Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson would not be charged for fatally shooting the unarmed 18-year-old, the city's police chief said on Tuesday.
Last week, Louis Head stood above a crowd of protestors and screamed "Burn this ---- down" after St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCulloch announced the grand jury's decision, CNN reported. Now, authorities are trying to determine whether Brown's stepfather had intended to incite a riot on Nov. 24, Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson said.
Although no charges against Head have been filed yet, Jackson told Fox News that charges against him were possible.
Since the incident, which appeared on a video shot by The New York Times, authorities have started interviewing people who know Head and who were among the crowd on that day, according to USA Today. Police also intends to speak to Head about his actions, the police chief said, adding that multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in the investigation.
On Monday, Jackson echoed similar comments but didn't classify the probe as formal. "We are pursuing those comments, and there's a lot of discussion going on about that right now, but I really can't get into that at this time," he told TV and radio host Sean Hannity.
After the verdict was announced on Nov. 24, 61 people were arrested during a night of arson, looting, vandalism and sporadic gunfire that police countered with volleys of tear gas and smoke bombs.
"About 2,000 National Guard troops dispatched to the St. Louis area helped police stave off a second night of rioting and arson, as sympathy protests spread to several U.S. cities," Reuters reported.
"We can't let all that happened in Ferguson and Dellwood and the community die. Everyone who is responsible for taking away people's property, their livelihoods, their jobs, their businesses -- every single one of them needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," he said adding that police are attempting to identify the looters, who could also face charges.
Meanwhile, Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder has made headlines for his repeated insistence of Head's arrest, telling radio host Laura Ingraham last week "that he should be arrested and charged with inciting to riot."
Ashley Angell, of Georgia, tweeted, "#louishead should be CHARGED immediately for the role he played in Ferguson being terrorized & property destroyed! @stlcountypd"
"Would LOVE to see #LouisHead charged for inciting #Ferguson riots! Open and shut case from my vantage point," Canadian Scott Wiley tweeted.
