The grand jury in Missouri has reached a decision not to indict police Officer Darren Wilson for the shooting incident early August this year involving 18-year-old Michael Brown, Yahoo News reported. It can be recalled that Wilson shot the unarmed Brown in broad day light, an incident that sparked anger and frustration among Ferguson residents.
The grand jury, tasked to come up with a verdict on the incident, pondered and deliberated for months. Throughout the process, Wilson faced a tremendous dose of turmoil, aggressive demonstration, and extreme emotional persecution from Missouri households.
Accoring to Yahoo, the announcement was delivered by Robert McCulloch, prosecuting attorney of the case. He justifies the long sessions, saying that it was the aftermath of meticulous deliberation and consideration of the evidences presented and the conflicting reports of witnesses who came forward. He also translated the jury's assembly into numbers -- more than 100 hours of mulling over evidences -- all of which transpired within 25 meetings.
The prosecution lead also extended his condolences to Brown's family saying, "My heart goes out to them. The family is going to have a loss forever," quoted Yahoo. But when asked about the current whereabouts of Wilson, he said he has no idea.
The call for a peaceful response following the decision was initiated by Pres. Obama in a statement he delivered after the verdict was made known to the public. "To those in Ferguson, there are ways of channeling your conscerns constructively," Yahoo quoted him as saying. "... that won't be done by throwing bottles, that won't be done by smashing car windows," he added.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, pleade the same -- "tolerance, mutual respect and restraint."
But it seems that the call for peace did not stop protesters. The Boston Globe reported that violent protests still occured, including acts of vandalizing, burning and even firing guns. The police responded with tear gas and flash-bangs.
Brown's family, though disappointed with the decision, is calling on others to be proactive. "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," the family said, as quoted by The Boston Globe.
