Ferguson: Michael Brown's Stepfather Apologizes for 'Burn' Chant Amid Police Probe; 'I Was So Angry'
The stepfather of late teen Michael Brown has apologized for his controversial chants to protesters in Ferguson as police investigate whether to charge him for allegedly inciting riots.
Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson confirmed Tuesday that Louis Head is being investigated after footage of him encouraging protesters to "burn this b---- down" surfaced.
A frustrated Head expressed his outrage last week when a St. Louis grand jury decided not to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of 18-year-old Brown, and his controversial chant may result in charges.
"We are pursuing those comments. And there is a lot of discussion going on about that right now. But I really can't get into that right now," Jackson said of the probe on Monday in an interview with Fox News.
Since Wilson was cleared, riots have broken out and vandals have destroyed several establishments including businesses and churches as well as police cars in response to the verdict.
Head has since apologized for yelling expletives on the night of Nov. 24, however; he believes that he is being unfairly blamed for the looting.
"I was so angry and full of raw emotions, as so many others were, and granted, I screamed out words that I shouldn't have screamed in the heat of the moment," he said in a statement obtained by CNN's Don Lemon. "It was wrong and I humbly apologize to all of those who read my pain and anger as a true desire for what I want for our community."
Head, who was joined by Brown's mother Lesley McSpadden when he made the controversial chant, said that contrary to what is being said, he actually wants peace in his community. He also questioned the message that authorities sent out to the community by declaring a state of emergency even before the grand jury verdict was announced.
"But to place blame solely on me for the conditions of our community, and country, after the grand jury decision goes way too far and is as wrong as the decision itself. To declare a state of emergency and send a message of war, and not peace, before a grand jury decision was announced is also wrong," he said. "In the end, I've lived in this community for a long time. The last thing I truly wanted was to see it go up in flames. In spite of my frustration, it really hurt to see that."
Thesmokinggun.com described Head as an ex-convict who is already being investigated for an unrelated incident. His criminal history reportedly includes two felony narcotics convictions.
