Michael Brown, 18, was shot on Saturday in an incident widely seen as an act of police brutality.
Darren Wilson is a six-year veteran of the police force with no disciplinary record, Chief Thomas
Jackson said Mr Jackson said the officer was treated for injuries sustained during the confrontation with Mr Brown.
But Mr Jackson provided no other details of the deadly encounter, leaving unclear whether the revelation would satisfy public anger over the incident.
'Regain trust'
For days heavily armed police have responded to protests against the killing with tear gas and rubber bullets.
But on Thursday, tension eased when state police took charge of security.
The change in command was announced earlier in the day by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, after local police were roundly criticised for their heavy-handed response to the protests.
"We're going to have to regain trust," said Mr Nixon, a Democrat.
Capt Ronald Johnson of the Missouri Highway Patrol, an African-American who grew up nearby, was named as the new head of the operation.
As he walked at the front of a march through the streets on Thursday, Capt Johnson was seen hugging people he met. "We all want justice. We all want answers," he said.
Details about the incident which led to Mr Brown's death have been disputed, but eyewitnesses said the
unarmed teenager had his arms raised when he was shot multiple times by the officer, now identified as Mr Wilson.
Brown's cousin, Eric Davis, told the BBC that the officer must be prosecuted, adding: "The police situation has always been one of distrust and not good for African-Americans."
Mr Obama has promised a full investigation by the US Department of Justice into the teenager's death, and the FBI has launched its own inquiry.
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