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Ferguson unrest: From shooting to nationwide protests | |
(about 11 hours later) | |
Violent protests have taken place in several US cities, sparked by a jury's decision not to charge a policeman over the killing of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri. | |
We look at the key questions surrounding the decision - and the unrest that followed. | |
Why are the protests taking place? | |
The protests were sparked by a jury's decision not to charge a police officer over the killing of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri. | |
The officer, Darren Wilson, is white. The teenager, Michael Brown, was black. The protesters in Ferguson see the case as a symbol of racism and police brutality. Most of the town's residents are black, and most of its police officers are white. | |
The first round of protests - after the shooting in August - was focused on Ferguson. The second round of protests - in reaction to the jury's decision - has spread to other cities because the grievances articulated in Ferguson have broader resonance. | |
Many Americans believe that the police use excessive force, in particular towards black people. | |
The slogan "hands up, don't shoot" - coined in Ferguson in reference to witnesses who say Brown's hands were raised - became a rallying cry and "No justice, no peace" could be heard at many of the events across the country. | |
What did the jury decide? | |
The jury decided there was not enough evidence to bring charges against Officer Wilson. The panel of jurors heard testimony from scores of witnesses, as well as from forensic and medical experts. | |
The evidence from witnesses was often contradictory. Some of it supported Officer Wilson's version of events. Other witness statements appeared to support the account of Dorian Johnson, Mr Brown's friend who was with him when he died. | |
When can police officers shoot? | |
What exactly happened in Ferguson? | What exactly happened in Ferguson? |
The exact details of what happened that day remain disputed by police, eyewitnesses and family members. | |
What is known for certain is that around midday on 9 August, Mr Wilson was driving a police car and encountered Mr Brown and a friend walking down a street. | What is known for certain is that around midday on 9 August, Mr Wilson was driving a police car and encountered Mr Brown and a friend walking down a street. |
Minutes later 18-year-old Mr Brown was dead, suffering at least seven gunshot wounds, according to county prosecutor Bob McCulloch. | Minutes later 18-year-old Mr Brown was dead, suffering at least seven gunshot wounds, according to county prosecutor Bob McCulloch. |
Mr Wilson fired a total of 12 bullets, though investigators were unclear exactly how many of the 12 struck Mr Brown. One injury may have been a re-entry wound. | |
It is what happened in those key intervening moments that remains disputed. | It is what happened in those key intervening moments that remains disputed. |
What does Officer Wilson say happened? | |
Officer Wilson says he confronted Mr Brown and Mr Johnson at around midday on 9 August. The officer, who was in his vehicle, says he told the men to move to the pavement because they were walking down the middle of the road, holding up traffic. | |
The men ignored his request. When the officer spoke to the men again, he realised they were suspects in a robbery reported nearby. | |
He radioed for more officers, and reversed his vehicle to block the men's way. Officer Wilson says he tried to open the door of his vehicle but Mr Brown slammed it shut. The officer says Mr Brown struck him in the face when he tried to use the door to push him back. | |
Officer Wilson says he drew his gun and threatened to shoot Mr Brown, fearing another punch to the face. Mr Brown is said to have challenged him, reaching through the window to grab the gun. The officer says a scuffle took place in which the weapon was fired twice, but remained with him. | |
Mr Brown and Mr Johnson ran off. Officer Wilson left the vehicle and ran after them. Officer Wilson says he asked Mr Brown to get on the ground. But, he says, Mr Brown turned around and charged at him, with a hand reaching under his shirt in the waistband of his trousers. | |
Officer Wilson says he fired several shots at Mr Brown, who was gaining on him. | |
The officer said Mr Brown behaved very aggressively throughout the encounter. The officer said his own actions had been in self-defence, and he compared Mr Brown to a "demon" and to the wrestler, Hulk Hogan. | |
Official account of the final 90 seconds | |
Timeline of shooting | |
What do other witnesses say happened? | |
Dorian Johnson was with Michael Brown at the time. After the initial exchange, Mr Johnson says the policeman reversed his vehicle, reached out and grabbed Mr Brown by the neck. The men engaged in a "tug of war", he says, holding onto each other's shirt and arms. | |
Mr Johnson says he heard Mr Wilson threaten to shoot. He did not see Mr Brown punch the officer and he did not believe Mr Brown had grabbed the officer's gun. | |
He says Mr Brown stopped when the officer ran after him, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. Mr Johnson says Mr Brown was shot in this position - rather than while charging at the officer. | |
There are other witnesses who support what Officer Wilson says happened, but they haven't spoken to the media. | |
Conflicting testimonies | |
What role does race play? | |
In an interview with ABC News, Officer Wilson says he believed he acted correctly - and would have behaved no differently if Mr Brown had not been black. | |
The grand jury that judged whether to bring the officer to trial was composed of 12 citizens picked at random. Six were white men, three were white women, there was one black man and two black women. | |
Race in America: The big question | |
Why has there been criticism of the legal process? | |
"This process is broken. This process should be indicted," said the Brown family's lawyer, Benjamin Crump. | |
He said justice had not been served because Darren Wilson had not been cross-examined when he gave evidence to the grand jury. | |
"When was his credibility ever challenged?" he asked. | |
Mr Crump also identified what he said were inconsistencies in the officer's evidence. | |
And he condemned what he called the "symbiotic relationship" between St Louis County prosecutor Robert McCulloch and the local police force. | |
The grand jury explained | |
What next? | What next? |
The state investigation has now concluded but there are are two federal investigations by the US Justice Department still being done. | |
One is into the shooting and possible civil rights violations that could lead to federal charges. | |
The other is a wider inquiry into the Ferguson Police Department, examining possible patterns of discrimination. | |
"The federal inquiry has been independent of the local one from the start, and remains so now," said US Attorney General Eric Holder | |
In addition, Mr Brown's family have the option of filing a wrongful death lawsuit against Darren Wilson. They have not yet confirmed that as a course of action. | |
There is also the possibility the case could inflame racial tensions elsewhere across the country, although the rallies so far have been largely peaceful. | |