U.S. clears Ferguson officer

The U.S. Justice Department won’t pursue charges against former Ferguson Police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown, but federal officials have faulted the city and its police department for racial bias in a scathing report.

The Justice Department concluded there is no evidence to disprove Wilson’s testimony that he was in danger, nor was there sufficient credible evidence that Brown had his hands up in surrender when the teenager was shot to death by Wilson last year.

Brown’s death and reports from witnesses that he may have been trying to surrender triggered a series of violent protests in the north St. Louis suburb.

In a report issued Wednesday, the Justice Department issued over two dozen recommendations for Ferguson officials because it said blacks in the town have been disproportionately subject to excessive police force and baseless traffic stops, according to The Associated Press.

Read more from The Associated Press.