WASHINGTON — Justice Department investigators have all but concluded they do not have a strong enough case to bring civil rights charges against Darren Wilson, the white police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Mo., according to law enforcement officials.
When racial tension boiled over in Ferguson after the Aug. 9 shooting, Attorney General Eric Holder traveled to the St. Louis suburb in an effort to bring calm.
He assured residents that the federal government would open a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, but that investigation seems unlikely to result in charges.
“The evidence at this point does not support civil rights charges against Officer Wilson,” said one person briefed on the investigation, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.
Justice Department officials are loath to acknowledge publicly that their case cannot meet the high legal threshold for a successful civil rights prosecution.
The timing is sensitive: Tensions are high in greater St. Louis as people await the results of a grand jury’s review of the case.
Many supporters of Brown say they are already convinced there will be no state-level indictment of the officer. Federal officials have wanted to show that they are conducting a full and fair review of the case.
Justice spokesman Brian Fallon said any discussion of its results is premature.
“This is an irresponsible report by The Washington Post that is based on idle speculation,” Fallon said in a statement.
Other law enforcement officials said it was not too soon to say how the investigation would end. “The evidence we have makes federal civil rights charges unlikely,” one said.
A lawyer for the family of Michael Brown, Benjamin Crump, said he would not comment.
James Towey, Wilson’s attorney, did not return calls or e-mails seeking comment.
