On Monday a grand jury decided against the indictment of U.S. officer Darren Wilson who had fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown on August 9, 2014. Thousands of people found the judgement unacceptable and got involved in violent confrontations with police officers on Monday night.
Ferguson saw a night of violence as fires kept burning until dawn. Police officers arrested several protesters who got allegedly involved in riots. Police cruisers were set on fire, windows were smashed and stores were looted as officers fired tear gas and non-lethal munitions at crowds in response. The Wall Street Journal reported that at least two dozen buildings had been ablaze by morning.
Brown's death has been a point of debate since August when he was fatally shot by Wilson, a white police officer. The grand jury decision on the case became symbolic with justice, policing and racial discrimination. There were several protests against police allegedly being "racists" as the victim was of African-American origin.
Protests had become at times during summer but it escalated on Monday after the grand jury decision had been made public. Police started using tear gas, smoke canisters and nonlethal shotgun against protesters hours after there had been reports of buildings being set on fire and stores being looted. While the National Guard had already been activated by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon ahead of the grand jury decision on Tuesday, additional troops were deployed to the city later. The grand jury, consisting of 12 members in the panel, did not find any probable cause behind charges like involuntary manslaughter and first-degree murder. It decided not to indict the alleged officer after hearing testimony from around 60 witnesses for more than 70 hours.
USA Today reported that demonstrators had taunted officers and shattered windows while they set fire to a couple of St. Louis County police vehicles. According to St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar, at least 150 gunshots were heard as a dozen buildings were set on fire. None of the gunshots were fired by police, he said. Belmar said that a police officer had been shot but his condition was not serious.
Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au
A grand jury decided against the indictment of U.S. Officer Darren Wilson who fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown. Thousands of people found the judgement unacceptable and got involved in violent confrontations with police officers on Monday night.REUTERS/Adrees LatifA woman holds a sign during a rally at Union Square in New York November 24, 2014. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon urged people in the St. Louis area to show respect and restraint following a grand jury's decision on whether to criminally charge Darren Wilson, a white police officer, in the August fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri. REUTERS/Shannon StapletonA protester holds his hands in the air outside the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, November 24, 2014. A Missouri grand jury has made a decision on whether to indict a white police officer in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, a killing that sparked angry protests in the St. Louis suburb, the Washington Post reported on Monday. REUTERS/Jim YoungA woman holds a sign with images of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, among others, as protesters begin to rally in New York, November 24, 2014, after the grand jury reached a decision in the death of 18-year-old Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. The Missouri grand jury has made a decision on whether to indict white police officer Darren Wilson in the August fatal shooting of the unarmed black teenager Brown in Ferguson, a killing that sparked angry protests in the St. Louis suburb, prosecutors said on Monday. Garner died in July after being placed in a banned chokehold by a New York City police officer. REUTERS/Eduardo MunozProtesters, demanding the criminal indictment of a white police officer who shot dead an unarmed black teenager in August, march through a suburb in St. Louis, Missouri November 23, 2014. Reuters/Adrees LatifA protester, demanding the criminal indictment of a white police officer who shot dead an unarmed black teenager in August, shouts slogans while stopping traffic while marching through a suburb in St. Louis, Missouri November 23, 2014. After a fourth straight night of low-level protests in Ferguson, Missouri, anxious residents still did not know on Sunday when a grand jury would return a decision on whether to charge a white policeman who shot an unarmed black teen to death this summer. It appeared that the St. Louis suburb, which has become a flashpoint for U.S. race relations since Officer Darren Wilson killed 18-year-old Michael Brown on Aug. 9, would have to wait until at least Monday and perhaps longer for an announcement.REUTERS/Adrees LatifProtesters wearing Guy Fawkes masks take part in a candlelight vigil outside the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, November 21, 2014. Police and protest organizers laid the groundwork on Friday for steps to avert street violence once a St. Louis-area grand jury decides whether to indict a white police officer on criminal charges for fatally shooting unarmed black teenager Michael Brown, 18, in the St. Louis suburb. REUTERS/Jim Young
