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Six weeks after Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed an unarmed Michael Brown, Ferguson, Mo. Police Chief Thomas Jackson is offering his condolences and sending an apology to the parents of the slain teen.

In the video, Jackson also apologizes to protestors who felt he didn’t “do enough to protect their constitutional right to protest.”

Facing the camera head on and casually dressed in a red shirt, Jackson told Brown’s parents that he is “truly sorry for the loss” of their son. He also apologized for the amount of time it took to remove Brown’s body from the street. The 18-year-old lay in the August heat for four hours after he was fatally wounded.

Investigators were doing “important work” trying to uncover the truth and collect evidence during those four hours, Jackson said, but “it was just too long, and I’m truly sorry for that.”

“Please know that the investigating officers meant no disrespect to the Brown family, to the African-American community or the people (in the neighborhood where Brown was shot). They were simply trying to do their jobs,” Jackson said.

He continued:

“The right of the people to peacefully assemble is what the police are here to protect. If anyone who was peacefully exercising that right is upset and angry, I feel responsible and I’m sorry,” he said.

He also acknowledged that the incident has sparked a larger conversation about societal issues, and he expressed interest in being part of the discussion.

“Overnight I went from being a small-town police chief to being part of a conversation about racism, equality and the role of policing in that conversation. As chief of police, I want to be part of that conversation. I also want to be part of the solution,” he said.

He emphasized that “the city belongs to all of us” and conceded that Ferguson and the surrounding areas have “much work to do.”

“I’m also aware of the pain and the feeling of mistrust felt in some of the African-American community towards the police department…For any mistakes I’ve made, I take full responsibility. It’s an honor to serve the city of Ferguson and the people who live there. I look forward to working with you in the future to solve our problems, and once again, I deeply apologize to the Brown family,” he said.

You can watch Jackson’s apology in the video above.

SOURCE: CNN | VIDEO SOURCE: CNN/YouTube

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