ST. LOUIS (AP) - Several Republican candidates for Missouri governor said during a Wednesday debate they are open to independent reviews of officer-involved shootings, a topic that is again in the national spotlight after the fatal shooting of a man by a Louisiana police officer.
Suburban St. Louis businessman John Brunner, former Navy SEAL officer Eric Greitens, former U.S. attorney and House speaker Catherine Hanaway and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder faced off during the debate hosted by St. Louis Public Radio in advance of a competitive Aug. 2 primary.
The candidates are vying for the Republican nomination and the right to compete against the Democratic nominee, which likely will be front-runner Attorney General Chris Koster, for the state's top executive seat.
The winner of the Nov. 8 general election will lead a state rocked by the fatal police shooting of black 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson in 2014 and the sometimes-violent protests that followed.
The shooting earlier this week of 37-year-old Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has again raised the issue of police use of force, particularly against minorities. The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday launched a civil rights investigation into the video-recorded killing of Sterling, who was shot as he scuffled with two white police officers outside a convenience store.
The Missouri Republican candidates for governor have criticized Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon, who is barred by term limits from seeking re-election, for his handling of the Ferguson shooting and protests, saying there was a lack of leadership.
When asked during the debate if they would support bringing in an outside prosecutor and the Missouri Highway Patrol to investigate police-involved killings, both Kinder and Hanaway said they'd be open to independent reviews.
Greitens told the Associated Press after the debate supporting police and increasing trust between officers and communities is important. He said in some cases, independent reviews of shootings "would be a step that would help us to get there."
Brunner later told AP he needs more information before weighing in on such a policy.
All four candidates touted themselves as opponents of abortion and supporters of gun rights for law-abiding citizens. They also said they back an end to lobbyist gifts to public servants.
Greitens' rivals also renewed calls for him to return $1 million in campaign donations from Michael Goguen, a California venture capitalist accused of sexual abuse in a pending civil lawsuit. Goguen has denied the allegations.
Greitens said he won't try someone in the "court of public opinion."