Ferguson grand jury says Darren Wilson will NOT face trial for shooting dead Michael Brown
By RYAN GORMAN
Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson will not go on trial for fatally shooting Michael Brown earlier this year, a grand jury has announced.
The highly-anticipated decision came as Wilson is reportedly set to resign from the force, and also after days of preparation by local authorities and business owners.
Wilson has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the unarmed black teen's August 9 death, but that has not stopped protestors' rage from boiling over.
Local authorities now have an angry population that's poised to explode after the prosecutor inexplicably made the announcement at night, hours after the grand jury finished deliberations and was sent home.
The decision sparked outrage in the predominantly black Ferguson community, which for months has been joined by a chorus of prominent civil rights leaders in saying such a decision would be a "miscarriage of justice."
Local shop owners spent hours boarding up businesses as police and National Guard troops set up barricades around Clayton, where the courthouse is located, and Ferguson. Even statues and monuments were covered to protect them from vandals.
Safety measures put into place when Missouri Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency last week immediately took effect.
A number St. Louis County school districts announced last week in advance of the decision being made public that there would be no classes for at least this week. More announced class cancellations Monday in the hours after the grand jury was released.
A joint taskforce of St. Louis County and St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers, bolstered by the National Guard, moved in to control angry mobs expected to vent their rage on the boarded up streets of Ferguson.
Business owners already hit hard by the last round of riots hunkered down and hoped for the best in the St. Louis suburb.
Wilson, who has been living in isolation since fatally shooting Brown, once again vanished from public view.
His safety has been in question since August, but a recent bounty on his head put authorities on heightened alert.
"The world will be watching us," St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said during a Monday evening press conference.
Millions around the globe are watching, and wondering why the announcement was made hours after the decision.
This is a developing story, more information will come as it is made available.
Related links:
Report: Officer Darren Wilson set to resign
Michael Brown's dad urges peace in online video
Wife of Ferguson police officer fears for her family's safety
