No indictment for officer Darren Wilson
November 24, 2014
There will be no indictment of Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson, St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch announced Monday.
The grand jury did not find probable cause to indict the officer who fatally shot an 18-year-old in August.
“There is no question of course, that Darren Wilson caused the death of Michael Brown by shooting him, but the inquiry does not end there,” McCulloch said. “The law authorizes a law enforcement officer to use deadly force in certain situations.”
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He said the jury heard 70 hours of testimony from nearly 60 witnesses.
“After their exhaustive review of the evidence, the grand jury deliberated over two days, making their final decision,” McCulloch said.
Ed Magee, a spokesman for the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, said the grand jury, comprised of 12 community members, were to decide whether Wilson would be charged with crimes including first-degree murder, second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter or involuntary manslaughter.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay urged the public to remain calm in a press conference Monday.
“Our shared hope and expectation is regardless of the decision, people on all sides show tolerance, mutual respect and restraint,” Nixon said.
Slay said he expected people to “loudly” express their views in the aftermath of the announcement, but the time following would be a time to heal.
“The world will be watching us,” Slay said.
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Daniel Isom, Missouri public safety director, said authorities will prepare for both possible verdicts and “ongoing dialogue with community members has led to an understanding of the ground rules we’ll move forward on,” he said in a CNN report.
The shooting caused an immediate reaction and protests in and around the area. Protestors have been met with police resistance, which caused a civil rights investigation by the Justice Department and Attorney General Eric Holder. Police officers used tear gas, rubber bullets and other riot gear to prevent violence among the protests.
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