No charges against officer who shot Ferguson teen

A St. Louis County grand jury has brought no criminal charges against Darren Wilson, a white police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown, an unarmed African-American teenager, more than three months ago in the town of Ferguson, Missouri. 

The decision released on Monday night led to renewed unrest after the region faced weeks of protest that turned violent at times over the summer, when protestors took to the streets to express outrage at what they called a pattern of police brutality against young black men.

Within hours of Monday's decision, police were using smoke canisters, teargas and non-lethal shotgun rounds to disperse crowds in Ferguson as they reported incidents of looting and buildings being set on fire.

The grand jury was charged with determining whether a crime occurred when Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson shot 18-year-old Michael Brown in August after an altercation between the two.

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch said the 12-member panel didn’t find probable cause for five possible charges that ranged from first-degree murder to involuntary manslaughter, after hearing more than 70 hours of testimony from about 60 witnesses.

Brown’s family issued a statement expressing sadness, but calling for peaceful protest and a campaign to require body cameras on police officers nationwide.

“We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions,” the statement said. “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.”