Protests broke out and police launched tear gas into the streets after a grand jury in Ferguson, Mo., decided on Monday not to approve criminal charges against white police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of unarmed black teen Michael Brown.
Some of the demonstrations were repelled with firm police force, including firing bean bags into crowds and deploying squads of riot officers in armoured vehicles, a number of whom carried assault rifles while others held non-lethal weapons.
TV footage carried images of burning police cruisers, bricks flying through the air and some looting of shops in Ferguson. Gunshots could be heard going off, but it wasn’t immediately clear who was firing at what.
The unrest came despite pleas from Brown’s family and U.S. President Barack Obama for demonstrations to remain non-violent.
The grand jury’s decision was announced around 9:30 p.m. ET. St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch said the 12-person panel worked “tirelessly to examine and re-examine” testimony from witnesses and evidence.
“Eyewitness accounts must always be challenged and compared against the physical evidence. Many witnesses to the shooting of Michael Brown made statements inconsistent with other statements they gave, and inconsistent with the physical evidence,” McCulloch added.
Lesley McSpadden, Michael Brown’s mother, wearing sunglasses, reacts as she listens to the announcement of the grand jury’s decision Monday night. Brown’s family said, ‘We are profoundly disappointed.’ (Charlie Riedel/Associated Press)
“The duty of the grand jury is to separate fact from fiction.”
He cited, as an example, that a number of witnesses claimed they saw Wilson stand over Brown and shoot into his back. Some of those witnesses changed their story “once the autopsy findings were released showing Michael Brown had not sustained any wounds to the back of his body,” McCulloch said.
McCulloch said all three autopsies conducted on Brown were consistent, as was the scientific evidence, and the conclusion was that there was no probable cause to lay any charges against Wilson.
McCulloch mentioned that speculation in the media and in social media presented various versions of events, including that Brown had his hands in the air and was standing still when Wilson shot him. But, he said, numerous eyewitnesses whose testimony didn’t change had never spoken to the media and their evidence has never been made public.
Brown’s family released a statement shortly after the decision was announced.
“We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions,” the statement said.
“While we understand that many others share our pain, we ask that you channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change. We need to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen.”
Hours before the announcement, and before he himself had learned of the decision, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon appealed for calm in a televised address.
Hundreds of demonstrators, many of them Howard University students, march down the middle of U Street Northwest in Washington, D.C., after the grand jury decision in Ferguson, Mo. There were also rallies in New York City and St. Louis. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty)
“Our shared hope and expectation is that regardless of the decision, people on all sides show tolerance, mutual respect and restraint,” Nixon said.
“Together we are all focused on making sure the necessary resources are on hand to protect lives, protect property and protect free speech.”
The appeals were not entirely heeded, though, as small numbers of demonstrators hurled bricks at police cars or tried to light them on fire, while others sought to restrain them and urged calm.
Around 10:30 p.m. ET, a few streets were filled with the white clouds of tear gas. Police in riot gear and in armoured vehicles swept through the streets and threatened to arrest anyone who remained in the streets.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon pauses Monday evening while urging ‘tolerance, mutual respect and restraint,’ as St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay looks on. (Justin Sullivan/Getty)
Gov. Nixon said local and state police have deployed their “best, most experienced” officers onto the streets in anticipation of possible turbulence, and repeated his controversial announcement from last week that National Guard personnel will be providing security at facilities like firehouses and electrical substations.
The grand jury’s decision could touch off 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.
“The world will be watching us,” St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said Monday evening before the announcement.
“They are going to watch how we handle our disagreements in the coming days and how we make needed change in the coming months and years. St. Louis finds itself with an opportunity to show the nation the ways in which a community can be more fair, and more just for everyone. We must seize this opportunity together.”
Federal charges not expected
Under Missouri law, the 12-person grand jury only needed nine members to find there is “probable cause” to lay a charge for it to be approved.
The panel had a range of possible charges it could have approved, from first degree murder down to involuntary manslaughter.
The grand jury was convened in mid-August and heard testimony and evidence since then.
U.S. President Barack Obama reacts to the news. ‘This is not just an issue for Ferguson. This is an issue for America,’ he said. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty)
The FBI is conducting a separate federal investigation into whether Wilson breached any of Brown’s civil rights. That could result in separate criminal counts, though the Washington 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.
President Obama delivered a televised address Monday night, saying the distressed reaction to the grand jury decision is “understandable” but nevertheless “hurting others or destroying property is not the answer.”
“The fact is, in too many parts of this country, a deep distrust exists between law enforcement and communities of colour,” Obama said.
“The good news is there are things we know we can do to help.”
He said one step would be to work with law enforcement officials “to make sure their ranks are representative of the communities they service.”
Shot multiple 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.
St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCulloch said ‘the physical and scientific evidence… tells the accurate story,’ whereas some witnesses acknowledged they didn’t actually see the shooting or heard about it from others. (Cristina Fletes-Boutte/Pool/Getty)
scuffle broke out between the officer 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.
