While St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCullouch’s objectivity is in question by many Black Democrats, Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon quietly threw his support behind him.

In a statement Tuesday evening, Nixon announced his support, saying McCullouch should not recuse himself from the investigation into the police shooting of Michael Brown unless he wants to.

“From the outset, I have been clear about the need to have a vigorous prosecution of this case, and that includes minimizing any potential legal uncertainty. I am not asking St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCullough [sic] to recuse himself from this case,” he said.

“There is a well-established process by which a prosecutor can recuse themselves from a pending investigation, and a special prosecutor be appointed,” Nixon continued. “Departing from this established process could unnecessarily inject legal uncertainty into this matter and potentially jeopardize the prosecution.”

McCullouch has said he’ll recuse himself only at the request of Nixon.

McCullouch’s objectivity in the matter has been questioned by local political leaders like State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, a fellow Democrat. She launched an online petition earlier this week calling for him to be replaced by a special prosector to investigate the police shooting citing his decision to “not to charge officers who murdered two unarmed African American men in 2000 by shooting into their car 20 times.”

The petition has been signed by more than 50,000 people online.