A grand jury in Ferguson, Mo., has decided whether to lay charges against white police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting in August of unarmed black teen Michael Brown, U.S. media say, as the entire St. Louis area braces for possible protests.
Both CNN and the Washington Post, citing sources, are reporting the 12-person panel has made up its mind and that some kind of announcement from officials is expected later Monday — though it’s not clear that the announcement will include news of the grand jury’s decision.
The decision could touch off turbulent demonstrations similar to those seen after Wilson shot Brown dead on Aug. 9 during an attempt to arrest him. Those protests saw riot police deploy tear gas on demonstrators in footage seen around the United States.
Under Missouri law, the 12-person grand jury only needs nine members to find there is “probable cause” to lay a charge for it to be approved.
The panel could opt for any of a range of possible charges, from murder down to involuntary manslaughter, or could decide not to lay any charges.
The grand jury was convened in mid-August and has heard testimony and evidence since then.
Federal charges not expected
The FBI is conducting a separate federal investigation into whether Wilson breached any of Brown’s civil rights. That could result in additional counts, though the Post, citing sources, said investigators have more or less decided federal charges are not warranted.
In his most recent statement on the matter earlier this month, departing U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said there is no timeline for the FBI to announce the results of its probe.
Protesting on Sunday night in St. Louis, Reggie Cunningham said he doubted Wilson will be indicted and it seemed authorities were delaying an announcement “to spin this in the most positive way possible.”
“The more that they drag this out, the angrier people are going to be,” said Cunningham, 30, of St. Louis.
Shot 6 times
Wilson shot Brown at least six times early on a Saturday afternoon on a quiet street in Ferguson.
The incident was touched off when Wilson, driving a squad car down a street, rolled down his window to command Brown and a friend, who were walking in the middle of the road, to move onto the sidewalk.
A scuffle broke out between the office and the teen, with Brown eventually fleeing and Wilson chasing after him, gun drawn.
Details around the shooting are contested, with some witnesses and Brown’s supporters saying he had his arms in the air to surrender when Wilson started firing.
Wilson, 28, reportedly told the grand jury that he feared for his life as Brown, who was 6-foot-4 and nearly 300 pounds, came at him.
It’s not uncommon for deliberations to take a while in complex cases when, such as in the Brown shooting, self-defence is alleged or there are two widely conflicting versions of events, said Cole County prosecutor Mark Richardson, who is not involved in the Ferguson case.
“In the course of their deliberations, if one grand juror convinces the others that ‘Look, we need to hear from an additional witness,’ and they all agree, the prosecutor’s got a duty to bring that witness in,” Richardson said.
