Michael Brown, 18, was shot dead by a police officer on Saturday night. The teen, who was about to start college, was unarmed
The grand jury that began hearing evidence Wednesday in the case of the fatal shooting of unarmed, black teen Michael Brown is primarily white, according to theSt. Louis Dispatch.
There are three black people on the grand jury, one man and two women. The rest of the jury comprises six white men and three white women. The demographics of the jury roughly coincide with the racial makeup of St. Louis County itself, which is 68 percent white and 24 percent black. But race has already played a major role in this case, as it has garnered international attention and sparked conversation about racial discrimination and inequality prompting demonstrators to protest nationwide.
According to the Missouri attorney general's office, the grand jury will decide whether a crime has been committed and "whether there is probable cause to believe the defendant committed it.” If the jury makes that decision, it can issue an indictment formally charging the defendant.
Police said Brown was shot multiple times on Aug. 9 after being confronted by a white officer. Authorities initially offered vague details about the confrontation but said the officer involved had been placed on administrative leave. The FBI opened an investigation into Brown's death last week.
Cops shoot man on THIRD night of violence as St Louis riots over the death of Michael Brown
- Police fired tear gas for a third night to break up demonstrators following a rally by civil rights leader Al Sharpton
- FAA creates no-fly zone over Ferguson after shots fired at police helicopter
- Police said today a woman was shot in the head in an alleged drive-by shooting in Ferguson while a police officer reportedly shot an armed man
- Demonstrations in the St Louis suburb were sparked by police shooting of an unarmed teenager Michael Brown on Saturday night
- Ferguson police released a statement today but would not name officer involved citing death threats on social media; the department's computer system was also hacked on Wednesday
A third night of violent protests flared up in Ferguson, Missouri on Tuesday as police in riot gear and armored trucks trained high-powered rifles on protesters.
The demonstrations in the quiet suburb of St Louis were sparked by the police shooting of an unarmed teenager Michael Brown on Saturday night.
Police revealed today that a woman had been shot in the head in an alleged drive-by shooting in Ferguson on Tuesday night while in a separate incident, a police officer reportedly shot an armed man.
According to WBNS, four men wearing ski masks and armed with shotguns believed to be staging a robbery were apprehended by officers.
One suspect confronted an officer with a handgun. The officer, who feared for his life said a police spokesman, shot the armed subject.
The alleged robber was taken to hospital in critical condition.
In a separate incident, a woman was shot once in the head during a drive-by shooting, police reported. She was taken to hospital and is expected to live.
The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has established a no-fly zone over Ferguson after police said one of their helicopters was fired upon on multiple occasions. The ban will remain in place until Monday.
Following a rally by civil rights leader Al Sharpton on Tuesday, crowds confronted police and refused orders to disperse.
Police fired more tear gas on the protests but overall, the situation did not escalate as it had on previous nights.
On Sunday and Monday nights, tensions have run high in Ferguson where crowds looted and burned stores, vandalized vehicles and taunted police.
Riot officers dressed in tactical gear shot rubber bullets and bean-bag rounds at protesters who volleyed rocks in return.
At a rally held by Reverend Sharpton on Tuesday night, the mother of Michael Brown, Lesley McSpadden, demanded that the police officer who shot her son come forward.
'You take your punishment,' Lesley McSpadden said. 'If you were a man you'd stand up, you'd be a man, you would say you was wrong.'
Reverend Sharpton added: 'The local authorities have put themselves in a position - hiding names and not being transparent - where people will not trust anything but an objective investigation.'
Her plea comes as Ferguson police refused to name of the officer in question, citing death threats made on social media.
An officer in the records department of the Ferguson Police headquarters told MailOnline today that their computers had been shut down because they had been hacked.
The Ferguson Police Department released a statement on Wednesday mourning the loss of the 18-year-old and asking for peace in the community. It made no mention of the identity of the officer involved.
The statement read: 'We ask that any groups wishing to assemble in prayer or in protest do so only during daylight hours in an organized and respectful manner. We further ask all those wishing to demonstrate or assemble to disperse well before the evening hours to ensure the safety of the participants and the safety of our community.
'Unfortunately, those who wish to co-opt peaceful protests and turn them into violent demonstrations have been able to do so over the past several days during the evening hours. These events are no indicative of the City of Ferguson and its residents.'
The police claim that the teenager assaulted the police officer in the street on Saturday and made a grab for his weapon.
That claim is entirely refuted by Brown's friend, Dorian Johnson, who was within feet of the entire incident.
Mr Johnson, 22, said his friend fled from the officer after being shot once, held his hands up and shouted that he was unarmed. The officer then repeatedly fired shots at Brown, Mr Johnson said.
Police admit that Brown was shot 'a couple of times' but could not give an exact number.
Vigils have been planned across the U.S. on Thursday in response to recent alleged acts of police brutality including the killing of 18-year-old Brown.
Organized by a movement called the National Moment Of Silence, vigils are being planned in 50 cities across 30 states.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2723829/St-Louis-protests-Third-violent-night-cop-shooting-amid-Michael-Brown-demonstrations.html
http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/crime/2014/08/16/ac-dnt-carroll-michael-brown-background.cnn.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/22/michael-brown-grand-jury_n_5701455.html
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