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Ferguson PD Delays Releasing Name Of Officer Who Shot Teen

After another night of violence in the St. Louis suburb where Michael Brown was killed, police delayed releasing the name of the officer who shot him.
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Police in Ferguson, Missouri, have now pulled back plans to release the name of the officer who shot and killed teenager Michael Brown. The unarmed teen's death led to riots, looting and an independent investigation by the FBI since the officer killed Brown Saturday.

At least one witness to the shooting and protesters in the predominantly black St. Louis suburb say the white officer was aggressive with Brown and shot the teen after he put his hands in the air. Authorities say Brown and the officer were in a physical altercation and Brown tried to grab the officer's weapon.

However, within hours of announcing they'd release the officer's name, local reporters wrote police delayed that with no definite timeline moving forward because of social media threats.

KSDK ANCHOR: "Breaking news. That's the sound of tear gas fired on crowds in Ferguson."

Confrontations with police continued Monday night. St. Louis County Police told KSDK they fired tear gas after protesters threw rocks and coins at officers.

While most local TV stations couldn't definitively confirm police using rubber bullets, several witnesses claimed as much over social media and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch spoke with a woman who said she was hit in the leg.

PROTESTER: "I just don't understand why we're being shot at, why they want us to go home. They want us to forget about what's going on? What happened? We're not going to forget. We're going to be out here every day. I hope they've got a lot of rubber bullets."

Monday, confrontations still weren't nearly as chaotic as Sunday night when rioting and looters hit several local businesses, even setting a QuikTrip gas station on fire. (Video via KTVI)

Brown's death also started a social media campaign many are now calling powerful as it addresses which pictures of the deceased media choose to use.

The hashtag #IfTheyGunnedMeDown features side-by-side pictures of people ranging from members of the military to a Midwest city councilman. While one image shows the person in street clothes, the other features him or her in a military uniform, work attire or doing charitable work.

Mashable points out the campaign started after some media outlets used a picture of Brown giving a hand signal some interpreted as a peace sign while others labeled it a gang sign.

Brown's parents have insisted he never had disciplinary problems. The teen was supposed to start his college career at a technical school Monday. Michael Brown Sr. spoke at a press conference Monday.

MICHAEL BROWN SR., PRESS CONFERENCE ON CBS: "He's a good boy. He didn't deserve none of this. None of it. We need justice for our son. We need justice for our son!"

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced Monday the FBI will conduct its own investigation into Michael Brown's killing. Although Holder said the FBI inquiry is not meant to replace the local law enforcement investigation, police in St. Louis County say they are sharing information from the case.

This video contains images from Getty Images.