Thread: Decision From Ferguson Grand Jury on Officer Darren Wilson

Decision From Ferguson Grand Jury on Officer Darren Wilson

NO CHARGES

No indictment in Ferguson case

Yamiche Alcindor and William M. Welch, USA TODAY9:09 p.m. EST November 24, 2014

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said mutual respect and tolerance are needed after the Ferguson grand jury decision.VPC


(Photo: Jewel Samad, AFP/Getty Images)


FERGUSON, Mo. -- A white police officer will not face charges for fatally shooting an unarmed black teenager in a case that set off violent protests and racial unrest throughout the nation, an attorney close to the case said Monday night.

A St. Louis County grand jury declined to indict officer Darren Wilson, 28, for firing six shots in an August confrontation that killed 18-year-old Michael Brown, said Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the family. The decision had been long awaited and followed rioting that resembled war-zone news footage in this predominantly black suburb of St. Louis.

"The jury was not inclined to indict on any charges,'' Crump said after being informed of the decision by authorities. Prosecutors scheduled an news conference to announce the decision.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, called for calm after calling up National Guard troops to stand by in case of unrest. Speaking before the decision was announced, he urged that "regardless of the decision, people on all sides show tolerance, mutual respect and restraint.''

Crowds gathered around the Ferguson police headquarters in anticipation of the announcement at the courthouse in Clayton, Mo., another St. Louis suburb.

The 12-person grand jury had been considering whether probable cause existed to bring charges against Wilson, 28, the white officer who fatally shot Brown, an 18-year-old black man, after their Aug. 9 confrontation. The shooting inflamed tensions in a largely minority community that is patrolled by an overwhelmingly white police force.

Brown's lifeless and bleeding body lay for more than four hours in a Ferguson residential street after the shooting, prompting dismay and anger as a crowd gathered. Protests turned into rioting and looting the following night, and police responded with armored vehicles and tear gas, triggering a nationwide debate over police tactics.

The 12-person grand jury, including nine whites and three African Americans, had been meeting in secret for months, hearing evidence and weighing whether Wilson's should face charges that could have ranged from involuntary manslaughter to murder.

Brown's family joined thousands of protesters to demand Wilson's arrest. As anger at official inaction grew following Brown's death, protesters clashed with police, who began patrolling the streets with military-grade weapons and armored vehicles.

Wilson has been on paid leave and largely invisible since the shooting.

While the grand jury met in secret to hear evidence in the case, two starkly different versions of the events leading to the shooting emerged in media accounts.

Police have said a scuffle broke out after Wilson asked Brown and a friend to move out of the street. Wilson told investigators he shot Brown only after the teenager reached for the officer's gun. Some witnesses
said Brown had run away from Wilson, then turned and raised his hands in the air in a gesture of surrender before he was shot in the head and chest.

Paul Morris (center front) boards up his store in Ferguson on Nov. 24.(Photo: Nick Oza, USA TODAY)


The unusual timing of the grand jury's announcement, after darkness had fallen, was a decision of prosecutors, Nixon said.

He said several local churches would provide shelter, safe haven and medical care in the event of unrest.

As officials called for peace, security preparations were beefed up around the courthouse and at other locations including the Ferguson police headquarters. Barricades were erected and Missouri state troopers were present with rifles, 3-foot batons, riot shields and other equipment.

Crowds of protesters waving signs and chanting spilled into streets near the police offices.

"This is not the time to turn on each other; it is a time to turn to each other,'' said St. Louis County Executive Charley Dooley. "We are one community,'' he said.

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay acknowledged the case "has deeply divided us'' but said "turning violent or damaging property will not be tolerated.''

"The world will be watching us,'' Slay said.

Anthony Gray, a lawyer for the Brown family, said they were informed the announcement by the county prosecutor, Robert McCulloch, was imminent.

Police have said Brown struggled with Wilson inside his police car, then reached for Wilson's weapon. Brown's family and some witnesses say Wilson killed Brown as he raised his hands in surrender.

The death of Brown, 18, touched off weeks of protests, and the decision by the grand jury on whether to bring charges prompted extraordinary precautions by law enforcement and the community. The Ferguson school district canceled Tuesday classes.


Evidence presented to the grand jury in Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson's case may or may not be released after their decision is released. It's up to the judge to make the evidence available. VPC



Police officers secure an area in front of the Buzz Westfall Justice Center in Clayton, Missouri, on November 24, 2014 where a grand jury has been considering whether to indict a white Ferguson police officer who shot and killed an 18-year-old black teenager, Michael Brown. The shooting sparked weeks of sometimes violent protests and a nationwide debate about police tactics.(Photo: Jewel Samad, AFP/Getty Images)


Police officials and protest organizers have collaborated on rules of engagement -- that is, rules for conduct when protesters meet police again on the streets. Nixon has declared a state of emergency and activated the state's National Guard.

USA TODAYWhat we know today about Ferguson

USA TODAYFerguson needs facts, not passions: Column

Brown's family called for 4½ minutes of silence after the grand jury announcement, Maggie Crane, spokeswoman for St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, said in a tweet Monday afternoon.
St. Louis County Police asked for donations for officers working round-the-clock shifts in Ferguson. Items requested on the department's Facebook page include Visa gift cards, water, Gatorade, soda, hand and foot warmers, DayQuil and cough drops. The department said it uses the gift cards to order hot meals for the command centers.

USATODAYTimeline: Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Mo.

Protester Rob Hamilton outside the Ferguson Police Station waits for the grand jury. (Photo: Nick Oza, USA TODAY)

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...ions/19474907/

Related--

http://www.alipac.us/f19/verdict-gra...fficer-315117/

Live stream of the action.... lots of threats of violence and racism towards whites coming across in the audio..

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/heatherdemian

http://www.alipac.us/f19/ferguson-fe...esters-315125/

Ferguson crowd erupts in anger at no indictment

Updated 6:54 pm, Monday, November 24, 2014

• Lesley McSpadden, the mother of Michael Brown, left standing on the top of a car, reacts as she listens to the announcement of the grand jury decision Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, in Ferguson, Mo.
  
  A grand jury has decided not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown, the unarmed, black 18-year-old whose fatal shooting sparked sometimes violent protests. Photo: Charlie Riedel, AP

FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — A crowd gathered in Ferguson erupted in anger, throwing things at police and knocking down a barricade as a county prosecutor announced that police Officer Darren Wilson will not face charges in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

As St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCullochread his statement on the decision Monday night, a crowd gathered around a car from which his news conference was being broadcast on a stereo. Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, sat atop the vehicle.

When the decision was announced, McSpadden burst into tears and began screaming before being whisked away by supporters.

The crowd converged on a barricade where police in riot gear stood along the street. They pushed the barricade down and began pelting police with items, including a bullhorn. Officers stood their ground.

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/art...nt-5915544.php

SHOTS FIRED

POLICE CAR WINDOWS SMASHED.

Teargas fired.


Live TV news coverage.

And now the divider in chief comes riding in on his stick horse to run his mouth, frequent pauses and 'uh's' included I'm sure, to divide even further. I don't know what he's saying (volume turned off), but it's quite a show on the split screen on Fox news.

http://www.alipac.us/f19/%91pants-up...rguson-314607/

Apparent gunshots heard during Ferguson protests

KTVU San Francisco

- ‎7 minutes ago‎