Michael Brown killing: Emergency declared in Ferguson ahead of verdict

Ferguson, Missouri: The governor of the US state of Missouri has declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard ahead of a grand jury decision in the case of a black teenager shot and killed by a white police officer. Many fear an outbreak of violence if the St Louis County grand jury fails to indict Ferguson city police officer Darren Wilson in the August 9 death of 18-year-old Michael Brown. In an open-ended formal declaration, Governor Jay Nixon yesterday said “there is the possibility of expanded unrest” when the grand jury hands down its decision. [caption id=“attachment_1670409” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Protestors walk through tear gas in Ferguson, Missouri in this file photo. AP[/caption] “The state of Missouri will be prepared to appropriately respond to any reaction,” he said, adding that citizens’ rights to “peacefully assemble and protest” would be protected. Nixon also activated the Missouri National Guard to back up local and state police. Brown’s death touched off weeks of sometimes violent unrest in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson as well as national debate about race and law enforcement in America on yesterday. No date has yet been announced for the grand jury’s decision, but St Louis County officials have previously said it would come by mid- to late-November. AFP