07:14 GMT – AFP IS CLOSING ITS LIVE REPORT on the violence in the Missouri town of Ferguson following a grand jury decision not to bring charges against Officer Darren Wilson over the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.
Despite appeals for calm from President Barack Obama and the Brown family, police in Ferguson were pelted with bricks and bottles and responded with volleys of teargas.
Looters smashed their way into stores and several buildings and cars were set alight in the town, a suburb of St. Louis, where its mainly African American community of 21,000 has been on edge for days ahead of the jury decision.
Protest marches against the decision were staged in other cities, including outside the White House, over the case which has sparked nationwide debate about forceful police tactics and race relations in America.
06:57 GMT – Evidence – Taking a moment to look back at the decision earlier in the day.
Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch said jurors had heard previously unreleased testimony, including of an altercation at Wilson’s car with the officer still seated inside and Brown standing by the driver’s door.
Wilson fired two shots while still inside the car.
He then gave chase to Brown, who stopped and turned back towards the officer.
“Officer Wilson also stopped. Michael Brown moved toward Officer Wilson, and several more shots were fired by the officer and Michael Brown was fatally wounded.”
Twelve gunshots were fired.
06:49 GMT – twitter – Ferguson has been getting international attention particularly on twitter:
“Imagine, people from war zones, like #PALESTINE are sending their support to # ferguson. This is a global thing!”
“South Africa twitter is mad on behalf of black America after # ferguson. Imagine we woke up collectively mad at our own racism here.”i
06:38 GMT – Fire department – CNN is reporting that the fire department has pulled out from a section of Ferguson for safety reasons after gunshots were fired
06:34 GMT – Cold – One reason for thinner crowds may be the weather with temperatures forecast to drop to around -2C in the early hours of the morning
‘Difficult decisions’
06:27 GMT – Crowds thin – Crowds in Ferguson seem to have thinned down considerably, although the night sky is still lit up with flames from fires and the flash of neon police lights.
06:24 GMT – Reporters threatened – CNN is reporting that its journalists have been threatened by protesters and asked not to film the developments, and that a female reporter was hit in the head by a rock during a live segment on television.
06:19 GMT – ‘Followed the law’ – Police officer Darren Wilson’s lawyers have tweeted that “law enforcement personnel must frequently make split-sceond and difficult decisions. Officer Wilson followed his training and followed the law.”
06:16 GMT – Airport open – Also on its official Twitter account: St Louis’ Lambert airport says an FAA no-fly order has “caused 5 arriving flight cancellations this evening. Don’t expect much more. Airport remains open.â€
Wider Protests
06:12 GMT – New York – In New York City’s Times Square, several hundred people rallied carrying banners protesting “police tyranny.” Others had slogans saying “racism kills” and “no justice, no peace.”
Another rally was held in the city’s Union Square.
New York City police chief Bill Bratton made an appearance at Times Square, where someone splashed him in the face with a red liquid.
06:11 GMT – Other cities – Protests have been reported in other cities from Seattle out west to Chicago in the middle and New York.
In Washington several hundred people gathered in front of the White House chanting slogans like “Hands up, don’t shoot” and waved banners saying “stop racist police terror” and “Justice for Mike Brown.”
06:03 GMT – Hospital – AFP reporter Jennie Mattew says that on her drive to the hospital to collect colleague Loic Hofstedt she saw broken glass and smouldering buildings with fire fighters battling to put out fires.
05:55 GMT – Smoke – Also from the same St. Louis County PD twitter site:
“To Clarify: Smoke used first. Not watching tv. We’re busy. When commanders on ground notified us of gas, we notified you. Thx”
05:51 GMT – Gunfire – Heavy gunfire is being reported by police officers in one area of Ferguson on the official St.Louis County PD twitter account.
05:49 GMT – “Not human beings” – Pam Bailey, a retiree from St Louis in her 60s, says she had expected the decision. “I’ve lived long enough to know that African Americans are not considered human beings”
05:41 GMT – Overloaded – Attempts to access the of the St Louis County Prosecutor’s office have failed – the site has been overloaded by visitors.
05:40 GMT – Corrupt system – Josh, a 21-year-old sales representative in Ferguson has told AFP’s correspondent on the scene: “It shows that our justice system is corrupt.
“It shows that we have a long way to go and it shows today that justice hasn’t been served for years and years. There’s room for peaceful protests and there’s room for violent protests.”
Simmering anger
05:38 GMT – Racial prejudice – Ferguson’s mainly African American community of 21,000 has been on edge for days, braced for further protests if Wilson wasn’t indicted.
The mostly black suburb has an overwhelmingly white police force and residents complain of years of racial prejudice and heavy handed police tactics.
In the days leading up to the decision, Missouri’s governor declared a state of emergency and called up the National Guard last week.
05:36 GMT – Rights investigation – Attorney General Eric Holder said that a separate federal civil rights investigation into the incident and Ferguson policing in general would continue.
05:35 GMT – Plea for calm – In a statement, the Brown family said: “We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions.
“We respectfully ask that you please keep your protests peaceful,” the family added, calling for legal reform. “Answering violence with violence is not the appropriate reaction.”
05:34 GMT – No charges – St Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch said earlier that Wilson had fired 12 times after getting into an “altercation” with Brown, and that the jury had found no grounds to file charges.
McCulloch told reporters the evidence presented to the jury had shown Wilson had shot as a legitimate act of self-defense during a tussle that broke out as he was responding to a robbery.
He said the “altercation” had broken out as Wilson was sitting in his patrol car and Brown was standing at the window.
05:32 GMT – Store looted – An auto parts store is fully engulfed in flames as another auto parts store just metres down the road is being looted
05:26 GMT – Fires – The scene in Ferguson is one of chaos with armoured vehicles and a line of officers wearing gas masks and tactical gear moving down the street warning people that if they don’t leave they will be arrested.
Several businesses have been looted with a number of buildings in flames.
Violence and marches
05:23 GMT – Marches spreading – Protest marches have begun in several more US cities. Outside the White House, a crowd is waving signs urging the government to “Stop racist police terror.”
05:20 GMT – AFP reporter hurt – AFP journalist Loic Hofstedt has been injured in the violence.
He writes on Twitter: “Yeah caught brick in face, got first aid, standoff continues, stitches will wait. miraculously found my cameraâ€
05:19 GMT – Looting – Looters have smashed their way into a mobile phone store opposite the police headquarters and ransacked it.
05:18 GMT – Violence erupts – Violent protests and looting erupted shortly after a grand jury chose not to press charges against Officer Darren Wilson a white officer who shot dead 18-year-old Michael Brown.
Despite appeals for calm from President Barack Obama and Brown’s family an angry crowd outside the police station where Wilson had been based threw bottles and stones. A police car was set alight and stores looted.
Riot officers responded with teargas and flash grenades, and running battles broke out in the streets of the St Louis suburb.
05:10 GMT – Liquor store – Reports say there are at least three major fires going on, including the liquor store outside which Michael Brown was shot.
05:07 GMT – WELCOME TO AFP’S LIVE REPORT on the ongoing violent protests in the US town of Ferguson where violent protests erupted after a grand jury chose not to press charges against a white officer who shot dead a black teen.
Members of an angry crowd outside the police station in Ferguson where Officer Darren Wilson had been based began throwing bottles and stones. Riot officers responded with teargas.