GRAND JURY’S OPTIONS
In addition to the option it chose — no charges — the grand jury considering Ferguson, Mo., police Officer Darren Wilson’s case could have indicted him on any of four possible charges: first-degree murder, second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter or involuntary manslaughter. Authorities said the jury also had the option of adding a charge of armed criminal action.
— From news services
A white police officer will not face charges in the shooting death of an unarmed black youth whose death set off weeks of sometimes violent protests in Ferguson, Mo., and sparked a national discussion about race and police use of force.
After almost three months of hearing evidence, a 12-member St. Louis County grand jury declined to indict Officer Darren Wilson on charges that ranged from involuntary manslaughter to first-degree murder in the death of Michael Brown, 18.
St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch, after recounting the grand jury’s considerations, said it had found “no probably cause” to indict Wilson.
As the nation awaited the announcement, authorities quickly stepped up security around the courthouse. Barricades were erected, and more than 20 Missouri state troopers were seen silently assembling with rifles, 3-foot batons, riot shields and other equipment. Some nearby businesses boarded up their windows, just as many shops had already done near the site of Brown’s death in Ferguson.
School and business closings scrolled on local television as if there were a snowstorm.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon urged people to remain peaceful as he appeared at a news conference with the state’s public safety director and the leaders of St. Louis city and county.
“Our shared hope and expectation is that regardless of the decision, people on all sides show tolerance, mutual respect and restraint,” Nixon said.
One woman leading the group screamed through a bullhorn “indict that cop. Police don’t like it. We want an indictment.”
Several young men in hooded sweatshirts that said “Peace Keepers” kept people from streaming into the street. A couple of people approached the police department building, but a woman asked them to protest the right way and pulled them into a prayer circle. Shortly after that, 15 uniformed officers came out to monitor the protests.
The grand jury had been considering charges against Darren Wilson, the white suburban St. Louis officer who fatally shot the black 18-year-old after a confrontation in August.
The Aug. 9 shooting inflamed tensions in the predominantly black St. Louis suburb that is patrolled by an overwhelmingly white police force. As Brown’s body lay for hours in the center of a residential street, an angry crowd of onlookers gathered. Rioting and looting occurred the following night, and police responded with armored vehicles and tear gas.
Protests continued for weeks — often peacefully, but sometimes turning violent, with demonstrators throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails and police firing smoke canisters, tear gas and rubber bullets.
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said that in the wake of the decision, demonstrators would be given leeway to slow down traffic in the streets, but “we will not allow them to hurt anyone or damage anyone’s property.”
St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley urged people to “think with their head and not with their emotion.”
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