Family of injured Ferguson officer ‘holding on to hope’ as he recovers

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - The family of injured Ferguson police officer Travis Brown says it is holding on to hope as he’s still fighting for his life.

Friday night, Brown, 36, a father of two, was knocked to the ground after protests turned violent outside of the Ferguson Police Department. Ferguson Police Chief Troy Doyle says Doyle and other officers were injured, property was damaged and several arrests were made.

As of Thursday, August 15, Brown has undergone several procedures and surgeries to address the swelling and fluid in his brain, according to a GoFundMe post. Doctors have reported that his brain activity is very encouraging. His loved ones say they’ve witnessed several small signs of progress, though the journey to recovery will be long and challenging.

“Such a nice young man,” said Former St. Louis County Police Chief Tim Fitch. “To have something horrible like this to happen to him while he was just trying to do his job.”

Fitch told First Alert 4 he hired Brown back in 2012 because of his commitment to the community and his ambition.

“One heck of an infectious smile. That’s what I first noticed about him when I met him and every time after that,” recalled Fitch. “He always had this big, beautiful smile on his face and always had a great disposition.”

Wednesday, Ferguson police released video from Brown’s body camera that recorded him running to control the chaos. As he tries to make an arrest, he gets knocked to the ground and severely injures his head.

Brown’s family said he’s bravely fighting for his life. Fitch told First Alert 4 that Brown came in as a civilian employee, got promoted to a police officer and worked himself into specialized units and tactical operations.

Friday’s footage shows Brown and his team prepare to arrest a suspect accused of vandalizing the gate at the Ferguson PD. Elijah Gantt, 28, of East St. Louis, is facing several charges connected to Brown’s injury and property damage.

“Nothing needs to be done to the protesters, what needs to be done, is to the protesters committing criminal acts,” said Fitch.

Late Wednesday, Ferguson PD’s Internal Affairs began getting complaints. It later posted the following:

The FPD Internal Affairs (IA) department will investigate the complaints, including associated video footage, and make their determinations and recommendations about the complaints. After that, the Ferguson Civilian Review Board (FCRB) will review the IA investigations of the complaints, including associated video footage, and make its own independent determinations and recommendations. Those determinations and recommendations, as with all FCRB determinations and recommendations, will be made public.

The FCRB review will look at whether FPD officers followed their policies and training during the protest event. The FCRB plays no role in decisions to arrest or charge individuals.

Brown’s former chief is hoping he pulls through.

“He’s always had that smile on his face and we want to see it back,” said Fitch.

BackStoppers, an organization that helps the families of officers and first responders who have been killed or injured in the line of duty, gifted Brown’s family a $10,000 check to help with his medical expenses and to help his two daughters.

Officer Brown s 20 other officers BackStoppers has pledged to take care of as part of its catastrophic injury fund.

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