Democratic Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster         (courtesy photo)

ST. LOUIS (AP) The fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson has been injected into Missouri’s gubernatorial campaign.

At issue is whether Democratic Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster, who is now running for governor, pushed for the ouster of Darren Wilson, the officer who shot Brown, before the facts were in.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Eric Greitens has accused Koster of trying to get Wilson fired soon after the August 2014 shooting.

Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III and former police chief Tom Jackson told The Associated Press in phone interviews that Koster sought to remove Wilson in closed-door meetings after the shooting.

A Koster spokesman says the assertions are false. Wilson’s attorney says Koster was supportive of Wilson’s well-being. A former Missouri House leader says Koster actually urged against a rush to judgment.