Protests Flair in Ferguson as Grand Jury Fails to Charge Officer Wilson
Darren Wilson, the police officer charged in the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, was not indicted by the grand jury.
The decision was announced Monday night by the St. Louis County prosecutor, Robert P. McCulloch, at a news conference packed with the media from around the world.
McCulloch said that Wilson faced charges ranging from first-degree murder to involuntary manslaughter.
The announcement has led to widespread protests and demonstrations with riot police standing on guard. One demonstrator proclaimed , "The system has failed us again," reports the New York Times.
People gathered outside the precinct where the grand jury debated the verdict and grew angry at the decision and threw bottles and stones at the police.
The anger spread though the town as the night progressed with people breaking store glass windows and burning patrol cars.
Gunshots were heard in Ferguson and in St Louis people blocked interstate 44. The National Guards, which were on standby, were deployed late at night with additional numbers called in by Governor Jay Nixon.
At a news conference late night, police chief Jon Belmar of the St. Louis County said, "As soon as Mr. McCulloch announced the verdict, the officers started taking rocks and batteries. " He claimed to have personally heard 150 shots fired. He said the police did not fire a shot.
The Brown family issued a statement expressing dismay and sadness at the verdict and called for peace . They want a campaign making it mandatory for police officers to carry body cameras. "We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his 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."
Across the country many people have joined in peaceful protests against the verdict. Nearly everyone has denounced the act.
