US President Barack Obama yesterday called for peace on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a police officer and urged authorities to be transparent in their investigation.

“Now is the time for healing. Now is the time for peace and calm on the streets of Ferguson,” Obama told reporters on Martha’s Vineyard, where he is vacationing with his family. “Now is the time for an open and transparent process to see that justice is done.”

Protesters have gathered every night in Ferguson, the mostly black suburb of St Louis, since Michael Brown was fatally shot on Saturday during what authorities said was a struggle over a gun in a police car. Some witnesses say he was outside the car with his hands up.

Obama said he had asked the Department of Justice and the FBI to investigate the killing independently.

He said he expressed concern to Missouri Governor Jay Nixon about violence in the wake of the shooting and noted he had asked Attorney General Eric Holder and the US attorney on the scene to report back to him in the coming days about the investigation.

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