As police in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson seek alternatives to the sort of lethal force that led to Michael Brown's death, they're testing a new device that attaches to a handgun barrel and turns a bullet into a projectile intended to stun but not kill.
Mayor James Knowles III says a few Ferguson officers will test the device, known as the Alternative, at a shooting range today. But Knowles says the department is early in the evaluation stage and the city has not decided whether to purchase the device.
The eighteen-year-old Brown was unarmed when he was fatally shot by Ferguson officer Darren Wilson in August, leading to widespread protests. The shooting also spurred a national discussion about police use of force.