A grand jury has decided not to indict Police Officer Darren Wilson, who fatally shot black teen Michael Brown. Breitbart News has reporters on the ground in Ferguson and will be posting live updates from the ground.
*LIVE UPDATES*
1:24 a.m. EST – A cop has been shot amid the chaos engulfing St. Louis. At this time, the officer’s condition is not known. He has been transported to a hospital for the proper treatment.
1:20 a.m. EST – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has halted civilian flights in Ferguson following law enforcement reports of protesters firing guns into the air.
1:00 a.m. EST – Police in Ferguson are reporting “heavy automatic gunfire” coming from rioters in the area. “Automatic gunfire refers to guns that are not readily available on the civilian market, because more than one shot is fired with a single trigger pull,” Breitbart Texas reporter Ildefonso Ortiz wrote. “While civilians are not able to legally purchase those weapons, there is a large underground market for them.”
11:52 EST – 40 gunshots have been fired in the last 15 minutes, according to Fox News.
11:38 EST – Shots continue to be fired by rioters on the ground in Ferguson. Police on-the-scene returned fire, according to Fox News.
10:50 EST – Looting appears to have gotten out-of-control on the ground in Ferguson. Christian Hartsock, a videographer working with Breitbart, observed several Ferguson-based stores, as well as a bank, being looted by large crowds. Additionally, he saw a Wallgreens being set on fire.
10:15 EST – Christian Hartsock, a videographer working with Breitbart, heard shots fired in Ferguson shortly after the grand jury’s decision not to indict Officer Wilson was announced.
10:14 EST – President Obama is addressing the nation regarding the grand jury’s decision.
10:07 EST – Live shots were fired in Ferguson following the announcement that Officer Darren Wilson will not be indicted, according to the Kelly File on Fox News.
9:39 EST – Mike Brown’s family has released a statement in reaction to the announcement that Officer Darren Wilson will not be indicted. “We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions,” the statement started.
9:34 EST – Some “witnesses” made claims about what happened the day Mike Brown was shot even though they did not see the shooting occur, St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCulloch stated.
9:30 EST – Officer Darren Wilson will not be indicted.
9:23 EST – “The law allows all people to use deadly force to defend themselves in certain situations,” a prosecutor for the Ferguson case said.
9:20 EST – “Our investigation has been completed,” a prosecutor said of the Ferguson decision. He said that the most significant challenge in the case has been the “24 hour news cycle” looking for “something, anything” to talk about.
9:15 EST – Live feed of the grand jury decision:
8:40 EST – Cities around the nation are bracing for the grand jury’s decision. The Los Angeles Police Department has been placed on a citywide tactical alert in anticipation of the decision announcement. “This is a significant, rare move by law enforcement only done when trouble is anticipated,” NBC reported.
Several states north, in Seattle, large protests are expected if Wilson is not indicted. “Seattle Mayor Ed Murray planned to give orders to Seattle’s Emergency Management Operations Center,” the Seattle NBC affiliate reported. “Seattle police officers were being told to have their demonstration management gear accessible to them.”
8:10 EST – Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon spoke ahead of the grand jury’s announcement. He emphasized peaceful protest, but made it clear that officials had a plan in place should the protests get violent.
Breitbart News reporter Michelle Moons listened to Nixon’s remarks at a press conference. “They are hoping it won’t get violent,” Moons said. “They want to allow peaceful protest but do have a plan in place if it gets violent. Nixon refused to give any deals about such an intervention plan. They are hoping that things die down so that the community can start to heal.”
Follow Kristin on Twitter @KristinBTate.
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