 "Ferguson burns again; protests across the US")
A grand jury in St Louis County, Missouri has decided not to indict Darren Wilson with state criminal charges, the police officer who fatally shot teenager, Michael Brown, and whose death resulted in weeks of violence and unrest.
The highly anticipated decision of the grand jury has caused a new wave of unrest. As word of the decision spread, the law and order situation in Ferguson quickly deteriorated as protestors turned violent breaking windows, vandalizing cars and burning buildings. Except in St Louis and Oakland, California, protests in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Philadelphia and Chicago were largely peaceful, the Associated Press reports.
The decision to not indict Officer Wilson was anticipated: while demonstrators across the US organized peaceful marches, police prepared themselves by setting up barricades. The New York Times reports that Missouri state Governor Jay Nixon called on the National Guard a week prior; schools and businesses were shut too.
Michael Brown’s family released a statement saying they were “profoundly disappointed” with the ruling and asked protestors to take a more peaceful approach.
President Obama called for calm and said “violence was not the answer”.
What the grand jury said
The decision was presented by St. Louis County prosecutor, Robert P. McCulloch who said that the grand jury was faced with inconsistent statements from witnesses which was “contradicted by physical evidence,” the BBC and The New York Times report.
The jury panel consisted of 12 randomly selected citizens; in this case, it had six white men, three white women, one black man and two black women. The BBC states that usually, a jury is presented an overview of a case by the prosecutor but since this was a high-profile case, the members became “co-investigators” and were given responsibility to consider all the evidence.
Officer Wilson was faced with the possibility of being charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter or involuntary manslaughter as well as “armed criminal action with the intent to commit a felony.” To indict the officer, nine out of the 12 jurors would have had to vote “yes,” says the BBC. The Guardian discusses how Officer Wilson used self-defence in his plea.
The BBC even states that the prosecutor, McCulloch, was criticized for not being impartial in the case as his own policeman father was killed by an African-American man in 1964.
What next
The New York Times and Washington Post report that a federal civil rights inquiry into the case has been initiated; however, the evidence does not support the case against Officer Wilson. Besides this, the Justice Department has launched an investigation into the policing practices of the Ferguson Police Department, the Washington Post reports.
The highly anticipated decision of the grand jury has caused a new wave of unrest. As word of the decision spread, the law and order situation in Ferguson quickly deteriorated as protestors turned violent breaking windows, vandalizing cars and burning buildings. Except in St Louis and Oakland, California, protests in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Philadelphia and Chicago were largely peaceful, the Associated Press reports.
The decision to not indict Officer Wilson was anticipated: while demonstrators across the US organized peaceful marches, police prepared themselves by setting up barricades. The New York Times reports that Missouri state Governor Jay Nixon called on the National Guard a week prior; schools and businesses were shut too.
Also Read
President Obama called for calm and said “violence was not the answer”.
What the grand jury said
The decision was presented by St. Louis County prosecutor, Robert P. McCulloch who said that the grand jury was faced with inconsistent statements from witnesses which was “contradicted by physical evidence,” the BBC and The New York Times report.
The jury panel consisted of 12 randomly selected citizens; in this case, it had six white men, three white women, one black man and two black women. The BBC states that usually, a jury is presented an overview of a case by the prosecutor but since this was a high-profile case, the members became “co-investigators” and were given responsibility to consider all the evidence.
Officer Wilson was faced with the possibility of being charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter or involuntary manslaughter as well as “armed criminal action with the intent to commit a felony.” To indict the officer, nine out of the 12 jurors would have had to vote “yes,” says the BBC. The Guardian discusses how Officer Wilson used self-defence in his plea.
The BBC even states that the prosecutor, McCulloch, was criticized for not being impartial in the case as his own policeman father was killed by an African-American man in 1964.
What next
The New York Times and Washington Post report that a federal civil rights inquiry into the case has been initiated; however, the evidence does not support the case against Officer Wilson. Besides this, the Justice Department has launched an investigation into the policing practices of the Ferguson Police Department, the Washington Post reports.