The weeks of anxious waiting and hours of deliberating ended Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, but the grand jury’s decision not to indict a white Ferguson, Missouri, police officer in the fatal shooting of black 18-year-old Michael Brown will likely reverberate throughout the community and nation for days to come.
Officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Brown, who was unarmed, shortly after noon Aug. 9 in the middle of the street after a scuffle. Brown’s body lay there for hours as police investigated and an angry crowd of onlookers gathered. Several days of tense protests in the predominantly black community followed, prompting Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon to call in the National Guard. McCulloch decided to present the case to a grand jury.
Click any image to view full screen with caption.
A waitress holds up her hands while watching from a restaurant balcony as protestors march in response to the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, Monday, Aug. 18, 2014, in Atlanta. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in downtown Atlanta to protest the shooting death of Brown. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton, center, stands with the parents of Michael Brown, Lesley McSpadden, right, and Michael Brown Sr., left, during a news conference outside the Old Courthouse Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2014, in St. Louis. Brown Jr., 18, who was unarmed, was shot to death Saturday by a Ferguson police officer while walking with a friend down the center of the street. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Parents of Michael Brown, Michael Brown Sr. and Lesley McSpadden listen to a speaker during a rally, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014, for their son who was killed by police last Saturday in Ferguson, Mo. Brown’s shooting in the middle of a street, following a suspected robbery of a box of cigars from a nearby market, has sparked a week of protests, riots and looting in the St. Louis suburb. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Made up of nine white people and three black people, the grand jury met 25 days over three months, and heard more than 70 hours of testimony from 60 witnesses. McCulloch held a prime-time news conference Monday to reveal the decision, and described inconsistent witness accounts. He never mentioned that Brown was unarmed when he was killed.
Michael Brown Sr., yells out as the casket is lowered during the funeral service for his son Michael Brown in Normandy, Mo., Monday, Aug. 25, 2014. Hundreds of people gathered to say goodbye to Michael Brown, the 18-year-old shot and killed Aug. 9 in a confrontation with a police officer that fueled almost two weeks of street protests. (AP Photo/New York Times, Richard Perry, Pool)
Police in riot gear watch protesters in Ferguson, Mo. on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2014. On Saturday, Aug. 9, 2014, a white police officer fatally shot Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, in the St. Louis suburb. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
In this Thursday, Aug. 14, 2014 photo, rap musician Stackz sits on his white Corvette as he joins protesters in Ferguson, Mo. Though he now lives in Atlanta, he grew up in the neighborhood. “This happened right in my area. It was a must to be here,” said Stackz, who said his real name was Demarco Williams. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
A demonstrator holds up a sign Thursday, Aug. 14, 2014, at the site where Michael Brown was shot and killed by police in Ferguson, Mo. The Missouri Highway Patrol seized control of a St. Louis suburb Thursday, stripping local police of their law-enforcement authority after four days of clashes between officers in riot gear and furious crowds protesting the death of an unarmed black teen shot by an officer. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
A woman takes a photo of the sidewalk memorial near the spot where Michael Brown was shot and killed more than three months ago, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014, in Ferguson, Mo. Ferguson and the St. Louis region are on edge in anticipation of the announcement by a grand jury whether to criminally charge Officer Darren Wilson in the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Posters of hands up decorate the exterior of a boarded up business as demonstrators march along a stretch of road where violent protests occurred following the August shooting of unarmed black teenager by a white police officer, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014, in Ferguson, Mo. Ferguson and the St. Louis region are on edge in anticipation of the announcement by a grand jury whether to criminally charge officer Darren Wilson in the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Thousands waited in the streets of Ferguson and in other major U.S. cities on Monday, and responded with shouts of anger. In Ferguson, some began throwing objects at police, and soon began to smash windows and set fire to businesses and cars. Authorities lobbed tear gas to disperse the crowd.
When daylight broke, about a dozen businesses had been severely damaged or destroyed along a stretch of West Florissant Avenue in the north St. Louis suburb. Sixty-one people were arrested in Ferguson and 21 were arrested in the Shaw neighborhood of St. Louis, while 14 people had protest-related injuries.
A dog looks out from the window along with residents from a top floor apartment as demonstrators march through the streets protesting the August shooting of Michael Brown, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014, in St. Louis. Ferguson and the St. Louis region are on edge in anticipation of the announcement by a grand jury whether to criminally charge officer Darren Wilson in the killing of 18-year-old Brown. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
A protester stands near a wall with a graffiti and police officers in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, after the announcement that a grand jury decided not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old. Several thousand protesters marched through Oakland with some shutting down freeways, looting, burning garbage and smashing windows. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Protestors march up Seventh Avenue towards Times Square after the announcement of the grand jury decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old black man, Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Protestors hold hands during a demonstration at a memorial more than three months after a black teen was shot and killed nearby by a white policeman, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014, in Ferguson, Mo. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
The U.S. Justice Department has its own investigation into possible civil rights violations that could result in federal charges for Wilson, but investigators would need to satisfy a rigorous standard of proof. The department also has launched a broad probe into the Ferguson Police Department.
Police officers try to clear demonstrators blocking Interstate 580 in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, after the announcement of the grand jury decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Lesley McSpadden, left, the mother of Michael Brown, embraces a supporter during a demonstration at the memorial near where the black teen was shot and killed by a white policeman more than three months ago, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014, in Ferguson, Mo. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
A protest is planned for Tuesday, Nov. 25, in the afternoon in downtown St. Louis, and St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson has scheduled a 5 p.m. Votive Mass for Peace and Justice.
Youths walk past a mural depicting peace in Ferguson on a vacant building up the street from the city’s police department, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014, in Ferguson, Mo. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Opening text from the AP news story, A Glance at Ferguson: Then, Now and the Future.
Lead Image Caption: Protesters sit in the middle of a street holding hands as Missouri state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal at left, wears a button remembering Michael Brown, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2014, in Ferguson, Mo. Nights of unrest have vied with calls for calm in a St. Louis suburb where Michael Brown, unarmed black teenager was killed by police, while the community is still pressing for answers about the weekend shooting. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Spotlight is the blog of AP Images, the world’s largest collection of historical and contemporary photos. AP Images provides instant access to AP’s iconic photos and adds new content every minute of every day from every corner of the world, making it an essential source of photos and graphics for professional image buyers and commercial customers. Whether your needs are for editorial, commercial, or personal use, AP Images has the content and the expert sales team to fulfill your image requirements. Visit apimages.com to learn more.
Written content on this site is not created by the editorial department of AP, unless otherwise noted.
AP Images on Twitter | AP Images on Facebook | AP Images on Google+
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
AP Images Blog 
A 6’8” dude does not have to be armed to be dangerous.
LikeLike