Several elected officials say some of Missouri's top leaders tried unsuccessfully to pressure Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson to resign after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown.
Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III told The Associated Press on Friday that top state officials had several meetings where they applied pressure on the city to force Jackson to step down.
Missouri House Speaker John Diehl and U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill confirmed they both attended a fall meeting about the issue.
Also, records provided under an open records request include a Nov. 10 email from St. Louis County's police chief about such a meeting.
Brown was shot by officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9. And the shooting led to significant unrest in St. Louis County.
