Civil rights activist the Rev. Al Shaprton is calling on police to release the name of the officer who fatally shot an unarmed Missouri teenager while also pleading that protests remain peaceful.

Sharpton appeared Tuesday at a St. Louis news conference with the family of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was killed Saturday while walking on a street near his home in Ferguson. Witnesses have said the officer was white and Brown was black.

The shooting has led to looting, and clashes between police and protesters. The Ferguson police chief backed off plans earlier Tuesday to identify the officer because of death threats.

Sharpton described Brown as a “gentle giant.” He says that to become violent because of his death is to betray his name.

(AP)