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Newsmax: Prosecutor Who Didn’t Charge Cop in Michael Brown Killing Ousted in Primary

Wesley Bell, a city council member in Ferguson, Missouri, won in a Democratic primary for prosecuting attorney Tuesday night, defeating the prosecutor who did not file charges against a police officer in the 2014 killing of Michael Brown, HuffPost reported.

The councilman defeated Robert McCulloch, who had served as prosecutor since 1991. Critics said McCulloch had failed to file charges against the officer who shot Brown, and the vote Tuesday was seen as a referendum from residents about McCulloch’s handling of the case, HuffPost reported.

McCulloch did not bring charges against Darren Wilson, the policeman who shot and killed Brown during a confrontation on Aug. 9, 2014. The killing led to several days of protests in Ferguson and around the nation about police interactions with largely black communities, HuffPost noted.

Bell’s win effectively means he will be St. Louis County’s next prosecutor, as there is no Republican challenger in the November general election, according to HuffPost.

Bell earned 56.6 percent of the vote, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. 

Bell campaigned on a number of reforms, including pledging to never seek the death penalty, eliminating cash bail for nonviolent offenses, opposing legislation that would create mandatory minimum sentences, and adopting criminal justice reforms, HuffPost reported.

“While Wesley Bell’s victory may come as a shock to many around the country, it’s no surprise to the Color of Change PAC or to many in the black community. This ousting of a 27-year incumbent shows the country what black voters have demonstrated for decades —that we demand to be heard and that we will make criminal justice reform a ballot-box issue in 2018 and beyond,” said Rashad Robinson, spokesperson for the Color of Change PAC, HuffPost reported.