FERGUSON, Mo. — A grand jury has decided not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown, the unarmed, black 18-year-old whose fatal shooting sparked weeks of sometimes-violent protests.
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch announced the decision Monday evening. A grand jury of nine whites and three blacks had been meeting weekly since Aug. 20 to consider evidence.
At least nine votes would have been required to indict Wilson.
The Justice Department is conducting an investigation into possible civil-rights violations that could result in federal charges.
Brown's Aug. 9 death sparked more than a week of unrest that included angry clashes between police and protesters and led Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon to briefly summon the National Guard.
As the nation awaited the announcement, authorities quickly stepped up security around the courthouse. Barricades were erected around the building, and more than 20 Missouri state troopers were seen silently assembling with rifles, 3-foot batons, riot shields and other equipment. Some nearby businesses boarded up their windows, just as many shops have already done near the site of Brown's death in Ferguson.
Several school districts called off classes for Monday and Tuesday, extending the Thanksgiving break. More than 15 districts cancelled Monday evening activities. Washington University closed a satellite campus in Clayton.
The grand jury had been considering charges against Darren Wilson, the white suburban St. Louis officer who fatally shot the black 18-year-old after a confrontation in August.
The prosecutor's office told Brown's relatives earlier Monday that the decision will be made public after 5 p.m., family attorney Benjamin Crump told The Associated Press.
The Aug. 9 shooting inflamed tensions in the predominantly black St. Louis suburb that is patrolled by an overwhelmingly white police force. As Brown's body lay for hours in the center of a residential street, an angry crowd of onlookers gathered. Rioting and looting occurred the following night, and police responded with armored vehicles and tear gas.
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Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.