Parents of US teenager Michael Brown reject police apology

The parents of the unarmed black teenager gunned down by police in Ferguson in the US have rejected an apology by the city's top cop.

Michael Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, said Darren Wilson, the white officer who fired the gun, should instead be arrested.

The 18-year-old's death sparked days of widespread rioting.

"An apology would be when Darren Wilson has handcuffs, processed and charged with murder," Michael's father Michael Brown Sr said.

Read more: Mourners gather for funeral of US teenager Michael Brown

The parents of a Missouri teen shot dead by a police officer have paid tribute to him in the program of his funeral service.

In a letter to Michael Brown his mother Lesley McSpadden wrote: "The day you were born I just know God sent me a blessing and that was you."

The letter by Michael Brown Sr. read: "I always told you I would never let nothing happen to you and that's what hurts so much, that I couldn't protect you."

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has decided not to attend today's funeral of Michael Brown "out of respect for the family".

A spokesman for the governor said relatives "deserve time to focus on remembering Michael and grieving their loss".

Friends and family of Michael Brown are remembering the US teenager in a lively ceremony filled with singing and music.

Hundreds of people are gathering for the funeral of Michael Brown, the unarmed American teenager who was shot dead by police on 9th August.

NBC News is providing a live video link from the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Ferguson where the ceremony started a short time ago.

The parents of the unarmed Missouri teen who was shot dead by a police officer have called for peace ahead of his funeral today.

Thousands are expected to pay their respects to Michael Brown at a Baptist church in St. Louis, just a few miles from the spot where he was killed.

But Michael Brown Sr requested that there be no demonstrations on the day that they lay their son to rest.

He told the American network NBC News: "We need a moment of silence on our son. We need peace on his going-away."

Brown's mother Lesley McSpadden added that the hardest moment will be the end.

Both parents visited the funeral home Sunday afternoon for a private moment with their son.

McSpadden said."I looked at him. I talked to him. I touched him."

Three White House officials will attend the funeral of Michael Brown, the unarmed Missouri teen who was shot dead by a police officer, according to NBC News.

Assistant to the President and White House Cabinet Secretary Broderick Johnson, Deputy Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement Marlon Marshall and Heather Foster, an advisor to the public engagement office will be at the ceremony, the station reported.

The funeral is scheduled to take place at a St Louis church on Monday.

A Missouri police officer has been suspended for saying that protesters condemning the fatal shooting of a black teenager by a white police officer "should have been put down like a rabid dog," on Facebook.

According to Agence France Presse, Matthew Pappert wrote: "I'm sick of these protesters. You are a burden on society and a blight on the community. These protesters should have been put down like a rabid dog the first night."

The Glendale Police Department, in a statement, said it suspended Pappert upon learning about the posts on Friday.

It said: "The matter is being taken very seriously and a thorough internal investigation will be conducted to determine why the posts were made."

They added that Pappert's views were "absolutely" not shared by the Glendale police or city government.

The governor of Missouri has ordered the withdrawal of National Guard troops from riot-torn Ferguson, Missouri.

Tensions in the town have eased after protests were staged nightly since police killed an unarmed black teenager.

Peaceful demonstrations overnight were the calmest street gatherings in the small St. Louis suburb since riots erupted over the August 9 shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a white police officer.

US Attorney General Eric Holder sought to reassure the people of Ferguson about the inquiry into the shooting death of a black 18-year-old by a white police officer.

The attorney general remembered how he was stopped twice on a New Jersey highway and accused of speeding. Police searched his car, going through the boot and looking under the seats.

"I remember how humiliating that was and how angry I was and the impact it had on me," Mr Holder said during a private meeting with about 50 community leaders at St Louis Community College.