Missouri's attorney general is calling for an investigation into claims that evidence was withheld in a lawsuit over the fatal shooting of a black man by a white police officer.
Attorney General Josh Hawley announced today his office will hire an independent counsel to investigate allegations of wrongdoing under former Attorney General Chris Koster.
A release from Hawley's office says the family of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith sent a letter to the attorney general's office earlier this month alleging that evidence was wrongfully withheld by Koster's administration and the city of St. Louis.
Former police officer Jason Stockley fatally shot Smith in 2011. The ex-officer's acquittal in mid-September has led to days of protests in St. Louis.