Ferguson, MO Grand Jury’s Decision in the Shooting Death of Michael Brown … NO INDICTMENT AGAINST OFFICER DARREN WILSON, “No True Bill” Returned

BREAKING NEWS: GRAND JURY DECISION … THEY HAVE DECIDED TO NOT INDICT OFFICER DARREN WILSON.

No indictment against officer Darren Wilson.

ABC NEWS VIDEO – Ferguson Grand Jury Does Not Indict Officer Darren Wilson

At a live press conference tonight from Ferguson. MO, St. Louis County Prosecuting Atty. Bob McCulloch announced that grand jury no indictment for Officer Darren Wilson.  Bob McCulloch said,”They determined that no probable cause exists to file any charge against Officer Wilson, and returned a ‘No True Bill’ on each of the five indictments.”

Live Feed from Streets of Ferguson, Mo

Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream

UPDATE I: ABC News – Ferguson Grand Jury Does Not Indict Officer Darren Wilson in Death of Michael Brown

A Missouri grand jury has decided not to indict Police Officer Darren Wilson for the Aug. 9 shooting of unarmed Ferguson teenager Michael Brown, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch said tonight.

McCulloch said that the grand jurors ruled that “no probable cause exists” to indict Wilson on any of the five possible charges that they were asked to consider. He said that the jury was “presented with five indictments” ranging from “murder in the first degree to involuntary manslaughter.”

The prosecutor repeatedly stressed the physical evidence that the 12 jurors considered, saying that it “tells the accurate and tragic story of what happened.”

“All 12 jurors were present for every session and all 12 jurors examined every piece of evidence,” MuCulloch said, adding that the jurors are “the only people who have heard and examined every witness.”

UPDATE II: Reaction following the no indictment decision.

The decision set off a new wave of anger among hundreds who gathered outside the Ferguson Police Department. Police in riot gear stood in a line as demonstrators chanted and threw signs and other objects toward them as the news spread. One woman said: “The system failed us again.”

Mr. Brown’s family issued a statement expressing sadness but calling for peaceful protest and a campaign for body cameras on police officers nationwide. “We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions,” the statement said. “While we understand that many others share our pain, we ask that you channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change. We need to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen.”

UPDATE III: Legal Insurrection has a very good analysis of the reasons why Officer Wilson was not indicted.

As has been widely anticipated for weeks, the Ferguson MO Grand Jury has DECLINED to indict Police Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of black adult Michael Brown.

This result has not been unexpected, as the overwhelming weight of both the eye witness and forensic evidence has been entirely consistent with Officer Wilson’s narrative of self-defense, including:

Wilson being attacked by Brown and his accomplice Dorian Johnson in his patrol vehicle
a struggle over Wilson’s service pistol
shots fired inside the vehicle (which forensic examination confirmed caused a contact gun shot wound to Brown’s right hand)
the temporary flight of Brown upon those initial gunshots
the return of the 292 pound Brown re-engage the much smaller officer
the firing of additional defensive rounds as necessary to halt Brown’s violence