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JEFFROBERSON—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Lesley McSpadden, the mother of 18-year-old Michael Brown, wipes away tears as Brown's father, Michael Brown Sr., holds up a family picture of himself, his son, top le , and a young child during a news conference on Monday in Jennings, Mo. ByDavidA.Lieb The Associated Press FERGUSON, MO. Police on Friday identified the offi- cer who fatally shot an un- armed black teenager and released documents alleg- ing the young man had been suspected of steal- ing a $48.99 box of cigars from a convenience store in a "strong-arm" robbery shortly before he was killed. Police Chief Thomas Jackson said the officer did not know the teen was a robbery suspect at the time of the shooting and stopped Michael Brown and a com- panion "because they were walking down the middle of the street blocking traffic." Darren Wilson, 28, has been an officer in subur- ban St. Louis for six years and had no complaints filed against him, Jackson said. Brown's relatives imme- diately questioned whether the officer really believed Brown was a suspect and said no robbery would jus- tify shooting the teen after he put his hands up. The family's attorney, Benjamin Crump, said Brown's parents were blind- sided by the allegations. "It's bad enough they as- sassinated him, and now they're trying to assassinate his character," Crump said. An attorney for the teen who was with Brown on the day of the shooting said his client has acknowledged to investigators that Brown took cigars from the store. The police chief de- scribed Wilson as "a gentle, quiet man" who had been "an excellent officer." He has been on the Ferguson force for four years. Prior to that, he patrolled in the neigh- boring community of Jen- nings, Jackson said. Wilson, who was placed on administrative after the Aug. 9 shooting, "never in- tended for any of this to happen," Jackson said. PolicereportsreleasedFri- day under an open-records request showed that at 11:51 a.m. on the day of the shoot- ing,authoritiesreceiveda911 callreportingarobberyatthe FergusonMarket.Anuniden- tified officer was dispatched to the store, arriving within three minutes. The officer in- terviewed an employee and customer,whogaveadescrip- tion of a man who stole the cigars and walked off with another man toward a Qui- kTrip store. Descriptions of the sus- pect were broadcast over the police radio. PoliceIDofficer,say teen robbed store MISSOURI SHOOTING By Sameer N. Yacoub The Associated Press BAGHDAD Nouri al-Mali- ki's decision to step down as Iraq's prime minister raised hopes Friday for a new government that can roll back an increasingly powerful Sunni insurgency and prevent the country from splitting apart. But to do that his suc- cessor has to unify Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish factions that deeply distrust each other and have conflicting demands, all while dealing with a humanitarian crisis and the extremists' continu- ing rampage in the north. The man tapped to be- come the next prime minis- ter, Haider al-Abadi, a vet- eran Shiite lawmaker, faces the immense challenge of trying to unite Iraqi politi- cians as he cobbles together a Cabinet in just over three weeks. Al-Abadi said Friday his government will be based on "efficiency and integrity, to salvage the country from security, political and eco- nomic problems" — but that is easier said than done in a country where forming a government often falls vic- tim to roadblocks and in- fighting. Sunni politicians are pressing for greater political influence, saying their dis- enfranchisement under al- Maliki's Shiite-dominated government fueled support among the Sunni minority for the insurgency, led by the extremist Islamic State group. At the same time, the military needs signifi- cant bolstering after falling apart in the face of the mil- itants' advance and proving incapable of taking back lost territory. "Sunnis and Kurds were presentintheMalikigovern- ment, but rarely included in thekeydecision-makingpro- cess," said retired Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmett, former mili- taryspokesman forcoalition forces in Iraq. "One hopes that al-Abadi understands thatinclusionhastobemore than mere participation." Many Iraqis expressed a sense of relief Friday that al-Maliki had relented af- ter weeks of insisting on a third four-year term, fueling a political crisis that raised fears of a coup in a country with a long history of violent power grabs. During Friday prayers in Baghdad's Shiite Sadr City district, a man distributed sweets to Shiite worship- pers, proclaiming, "Saddam has been brought down." The comparison of al- Maliki to the late dictator Saddam Hussein showed the depth of opposition to the outgoing prime min- ister even among some of his fellow Shiites. Sadr City is dominated by followers of powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, one of al- Maliki's harshest critics. Six years ago, al-Maliki sent se- curity forces to battle al-Sa- dr's militias to establish his authority and project his image as a national leader. "We congratulate the Iraqi people for the victory that has been done this week. It is the week of con- gratulations," said Ali Ta- laqani, a preacher loyal to al-Sadr, in his sermon to Sadr City worshippers. Shiite factions turned against al-Maliki largely because they saw him as a domineering leader who monopolized power and al- lowed widespread corrup- tion. GOVERNMENT Iraqis welcome change of PM HADI MIZBAN — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki speaks to the press in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2010. By Juergen Baetz The Associated Press BRUSSELS The European Union offered Friday to take charge of Gaza's bor- der crossings and work to prevent illegal arms flows, insisting on a durable truce and saying a return to the status quo before the latest war "is not an option." As EU foreign ministers held an urgent meeting in Brussels about global con- flicts, Hamas negotiators met with the Islamic mil- itant group's leadership in Qatar to discuss a proposal for a long-term truce with Israel. An official said the group was inclined to ac- cept the Egyptian-medi- ated offer. The Gaza blockade re- mains the main stumbling block. It has greatly limited the movement of Palestin- ians in and out of the ter- ritory of 1.8 million people, restricted the flow of goods into Gaza and blocked vir- tually all exports. The EU is prepared "to play a strong role" in man- aging the crossings while assuring that Israel's secu- rity is guaranteed, said the 28-nation bloc's foreign pol- icy chief, Catherine Ashton. The EU offered to reac- tivate and extend its mon- itoring of the Rafah cross- ing with Egypt and other border posts, provided there will be a U.N. Secu- rity Council mandate for the mission and a sustain- able cease-fire in place. In addition, the EU says Is- rael must lift its blockade to allow "a fundamental improvement in the living conditions for the Palestin- ian people in Gaza." The EU foreign minis- ters said the bloc is also prepared to prevent arms smuggling and launch a training program for Pal- estinian Authority police and customs officers to be deployed in Gaza. "The situation in the Gaza Strip has been un- sustainable for many years and a return to the status quo prior to the latest con- flict is not an option," they said. Israel and Hamas are observing a five-day tem- porary cease-fire in an at- tempt to allow indirect talks in Cairo to continue. The negotiations are meant to secure a substantive end to the monthlong Gaza war and draw up a roadmap for the coastal territory, which has been hard-hit in the fighting. Hamas is demanding the lifting of the blockade Israel and Egypt imposed after the militant group seized power in Gaza in 2007. The proposal is be- lieved to include the lift- ing of some restrictions, with Western-backed Pal- estinian President Mah- moud Abbas' forces assum- ing responsibility for bor- der crossings under new arrangements with Egypt. MIDDLE EAST EU says status quo for Gaza 'not an option' Landscape/Fence Steve's Tractor &LandscapeService •FenceBuilding•Landscaping • Trenching • Rototilling • Disking • Mowing • Ridging • Post Hole Digging • Blade Work • Sprinkler Installation • Concrete Work Cont. 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