Michael Brown's Friend Sues Ferguson, Darren Wilson

Dorian Johnson says Wilson used 'excessive force' against him
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted May 6, 2015 6:32 AM CDT
Michael Brown's Friend Sues Ferguson, Darren Wilson
Dorian Johnson leaves church at the end of the funeral service for his friend, Michael Brown, Monday, Aug. 25, 2014, in St. Louis.   (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Dorian Johnson, the friend who was with Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., when Brown was shot and killed by Officer Darren Wilson, has filed a lawsuit against Wilson, the city, and the city's former police chief. Johnson claims Wilson targeted him without probable cause when he and Brown were stopped on the street on Aug. 9, used "excessive force" against him, and acted "with either deliberate indifference and/or reckless disregard," NBC News reports; Johnson was not injured in the incident.

As for the suit's other targets, Johnson alleges the city and its former police chief "facilitated, encouraged and/or instigated" discriminatory police behavior. KSDK reports that Johnson's lawsuit bears many similarities to the wrongful death suit filed by Brown's parents. Johnson's suit also points to a Justice Department report that found Ferguson police were biased against black people and made racist jokes, among other things. (In his grand jury testimony, Wilson said Johnson spoke to him first after he stopped the pair.)

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