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The AP's roundup of Ferguson coverage following "no true bill"

Willis Ryder Arnold
/
St. Louis Public Radio

The Associated Press has covered the news out of Ferguson, Missouri from a number of angles in the less than 12 hours since St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch announced a Grand Jury did not indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for the August 9th killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown. We decided to display all of the coverage here:

No charges in Ferguson case; chaos fills streets

A grand jury has declined to indict white police officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown, the unarmed, black 18-year-old whose fatal shooting sparked weeks of sometimes-violent protests and inflamed deep racial tensions between many African-Americans and police.

Moments after the announcement by St. Louis County's top prosecutor on Monday, crowds began pouring into Ferguson streets to protest the decision. Some taunted police, broke windows and vandalized cars. Within a few hours, several large buildings were ablaze, and frequent gunfire was heard. Officers used tear gas to try to disperse some of the gatherings.

Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch said the jury of nine whites and three blacks met on 25 separate days over three months, hearing more than 70 hours of testimony from about 60 witnesses, including three medical examiners and experts on blood, toxicology and firearms.

More than 80 protesters arrested in St. Louis area 

FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say that more than 80 people were arrested as chaos enveloped sections of the St. Louis area overnight.

St. Louis County police released records early Tuesday showing 61 people were arrested in Ferguson on charges including burglary and trespassing.

And St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said 21 people were arrested in the city.

Angry protesters set fire to buildings and police cars and looted businesses in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson on Monday night after it was announced that a grand jury decided against indicting the white police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old, in August.

Most police shootings don't end with prosecutions

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Missouri grand jury's decision to spare Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson from criminal charges shows the latitude the law and the courts give law enforcement in using deadly force.

It's the latest police shooting to not result in an indictment.

The question was never whether Wilson shot 18-year-old Michael Brown, but rather whether the Aug. 9 killing constituted a crime. In declining to indict, the grand jury reached a conclusion that is far more the norm than the exception.

States and police departments have developed their own policies that generally permit officers to use force when they reasonably fear imminent physical harm. The Supreme Court shaped the national standard in a 1989 decision that said the use of force must be evaluated through a reasonable officer's perspective.

Brown family statement calls for peaceful protests

FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — Michael Brown's family issued this statement after a prosecutor announced that a grand jury has decided not to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson:

We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions.

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.

Join with us in our campaign to ensure that every police officer working the streets in this country wears a body camera.

We respectfully ask that you please keep your protests peaceful. Answering violence with violence is not the appropriate reaction.

Let's not just make noise, let's make a difference.

Obama urges calm after Ferguson decision

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says he joins with Michael Brown's family in urging peaceful protests after a grand jury decided not to indict the Ferguson police officer who shot and killed the unarmed, black 18-year-old.

Obama made the comments Monday moments after official word of the grand jury's decision.

The president said first and foremost the nation is built on the rule of law. He said despite anger and intense disagreement on either side, Americans need to accept the decision that the grand jury made.

The Justice Department is also conducting an investigation into possible civil rights violations that could result in federal charges.

McCaskill calls for peaceful response in Missouri

ST. LOUIS (AP) — U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri is calling for residents and law enforcement in her home state to remain peaceful after the announcement that a white police officer will not be indicted in the shooting death of an unarmed black 18-year-old.

The Democratic senator made the comments Monday night after official word of the grand jury's decision not to indict Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed Michael Brown.

McCaskill called the announcement "a result of a deliberate legal process." She says the result is being "independently checked" by a separate U.S. Justice Department investigation.

The Justice Department is investigating possible civil rights violations. The department also has launched a broad probe into the Ferguson Police Department, looking for patterns of discrimination.

Missouri Gov. Nixon calls for peaceful response

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is calling for a peaceful response after the announcement that a white Ferguson police officer will not face criminal charges in the shooting death of an unarmed black 18-year-old.

Nixon made the comments Monday night after official word of a grand jury's decision not to indict Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed Michael Brown.

Nixon says it is his "continued hope and expectation" that peace will prevail and says "the world is watching."

In Ferguson, crowds have poured into the streets to protest the decision. Some demonstrators taunted police, shattered windows and vandalized cars. Several gunshots were also heard. Officers released smoke and pepper spray to disperse the gatherings.

Nixon also says Missouri residents have "much more work to do" to create "safer, stronger and more united communities" moving forward.

Violence in Ferguson after no indictment announced

FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — St. Louis County Police are confirming officers used tear gas to disperse crowds in Ferguson after a police car was vandalized, business windows shattered and gunshots were heard in the streets.

Some protesters erupted in anger after the announcement that Officer Darren Wilson won't be indicted in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown. Protesters overran a barricade and taunted police. Some chanted "murderer" and others threw rocks and bottles.

The windows of a police car were smashed and protesters tried to topple it before it was set ablaze. Officers responded by firing what authorities said was smoke and pepper spray into the crowd. St. Louis County Police later confirmed tear gas also was used.

Some in the crowd tried to stop others from taking part in the violence.

Protesters halt freeway traffic in California

Dozens of people in Oakland, California, protesting the Ferguson grand jury decision have gotten around police and are blocking traffic on a major highway in the Bay Area.

Television images show people milling around cars, raising their hands in the air, and holding signs on Interstate 580. Officers in cars and on motorcycles are trying to corral the protesters, and others are standing in a line to keep more people from getting on the highway.

The demonstration in Oakland is just one of the rallies taking place in several U.S. cities after a grand jury decided not to indict a white police officer who killed a black 18-year-old in Ferguson, Missouri.

Officials in the majority of the cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Seattle, say the protests have been large and loud but mainly peaceful.

St. Louis-bound flights rerouted amid protests

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration is diverting some St. Louis-bound flights to other airports because of reports of gunshots fired into the sky in Ferguson following a grand jury's decision not to indict the white police officer who fatally shot a black 18-year-old.

The FAA says about 10 flights had been rerouted from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport as of 11:30 p.m. CST Monday. The reason cited was "to provide a safe environment for law enforcement activities."

The airport posted on Twitter that only inbound planes, not departures, are affected. The facility remains open.

For two weeks after the August shooting, the FAA restricted flights on 37 square miles of airspace, including for news helicopters. The FAA says media aircraft currently are flying just above the flight restriction zone over Ferguson.

Fires burn in Ferguson, gunshots heard in streets

FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — Fire and looting have overtaken several businesses after Ferguson protests turned violent.

Multiple fires burned early Tuesday at local businesses, including at storage facility, auto parts stores and a beauty supply shop. An AP photographer saw firefighters arrive at one scene only to be turned back by gunfire.

Not long after it was announced that Officer Darren Wilson wouldn't be indicted in Michael Brown's shooting death, protesters smashed a police car's windows and tried to topple it before it was set ablaze. Some in the crowd tried to stop others from taking part.

Officers lobbed smoke, pepper spray and tear gas from inside armored vehicles to break up the crowds.

The vast majority protesters had dispersed by late Monday, but looting and gunfire still was being reported after midnight.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.
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