A grand jury in St. Louis County, Missouri has dismissed charges against Darren Wilson, the Ferguson, Missouri police office who shot and killed unarmed black teenager Michael Brown.
The grand jury first convened on August 20. The 12 members of the grand jury were tasked with finding if probable cause existed to charge the police officer. The grand jury could have chosen anything from first degree murder to second-degree involuntary manslaughter.
“The evidence was presented in an organized and orderly manner,” Prosecutor Bob McCulloch said, defending his investigation and presentation of the evidence to the grand jury.
McCulloch added that jurors “heard more than 70 hours of testimony from 60 witnesses.”
Michael Brown’s family released a statement after the verdict, saying that, “We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions.”
The nation’s spotlight fell on Ferguson in the wake of the police killing and subsequent protests. The militarized police response drew condemnation from members of the national media, politicians and activists. Journalists trying to cover the event were arrested in Ferguson and violently harassed in nearby towns.
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