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A grand jury in Missouri has reached a decision as to whether or not to charge officer Darren Brown in the shooting death of Michael Brown. VPC
Two men demonstrate across from the Ferguson Police Department on Nov. 24.(Photo: Larry W. Smith, epa)
A St. Louis County grand jury reached a decision Monday on whether to indict Ferguson, Mo., police officer Darren Wilson, whose fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen in August touched off weeks of sometimes violent protests.
Plans were in place for an evening announcement of the long-awaited decision on whether Wilson will face charges in the death of teenager Michael Brown.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and Public Safety Director Dan Isom planned a news at 6:30 p.m. ET on preparations in advance of the grand jury announcement, now expected around 9 p.m. ET, the governor's office said. They will be joined by St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay.
Anthony Gray, a lawyer for the Brown family, said they were informed the announcement by the county prosecutor, Robert McCulloch, was imminent.
The grand jury has been meeting in another St. Louis suburb, Clayton, Mo.
Police have said Brown struggled with Wilson inside his police car, then reached for Wilson's weapon. Brown's family and some witnesses say Wilson killed Brown as he raised his hands in surrender.
The death of Brown, 18, touched off weeks of protests, and the decision by the grand jury on whether to bring charges prompted extraordinary precautions by law enforcement and the community.
The Ferguson school district canceled after-school and evening activities Monday and said schools will be closed Tuesday "due to the anticipated increase in traffic and possible demonstrations in our area" following the grand jury announcement, acting superintendent Lawrence Larrew said.
Evidence presented to the grand jury in Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson's case may or may not be released after their decision is released. It's up to the judge to make the evidence available. VPC
Police officers secure an area in front of the Buzz Westfall Justice Center in Clayton, Missouri, on November 24, 2014 where a grand jury has been considering whether to indict a white Ferguson police officer who shot and killed an 18-year-old black teenager, Michael Brown. The shooting sparked weeks of sometimes violent protests and a nationwide debate about police tactics.(Photo: Jewel Samad, AFP/Getty Images)
Some Ferguson schools were closed, a police command center was in place and barriers had been set up to help control protests in downtown Ferguson, a predominantly black suburb, and near the courthouse in Clayton. McCulloch met with St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar on Monday afternoon.
At the courthouse in Clayton, a St. Louis County police officer said officers carried in two metal benches from outside the building out of concern people might throw them at the building.
Police officials and protest organizers have collaborated on rules of engagement -- that is, rules for conduct when protesters meet police again on the streets. Gov. Jay Nixon has declared a state of emergency and activated the state's National Guard. The governor was reported en route to the area.
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Brown's family in an email called for 4½ minutes of silence after the grand jury announcement, Maggie Crane, spokeswoman for St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, said in a tweet Monday afternoon.
St. Louis County Police asked for donations for officers working round-the-clock shifts in Ferguson. Items requested on the department's Facebook page include Visa gift cards, water, Gatorade, soda, hand and foot warmers, DayQuil and cough drops. The department said it uses the gift cards to order hot meals for the command centers.
The evidence brought before the grand jury of seven men and five women — three African American and nine white -- may not be disclosed to the public for some time, if at all. If Wilson is indicted, evidence presented to the grand jury would not be released because it would be used during the trial. And St. Louis County Director of Judicial Administration Paul Fox released a statement Sunday denying that Judge Carolyn Whittington had agreed to release the information if Wilson is not indicted.
Whatever the grand jury decision, authorities say they want to avoid the same chaos that followed the shooting, when some protests turned into violent, ugly clashes with police.
Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III has said the city was making plans for the announcement for months. "Either way, somebody is going to be upset -- one side or another," he said. "We are obviously preparing for all worst-case scenarios."
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Timeline: Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Mo.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said neither the president nor anyone at the White House had any "special insight" into prosecutor's announcement. He said no decision had been made about whether the president would address the grand jury's decision once it's announced.
Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder have called for people to temper their reactions — and for police to exercise restraint.
Slay, the St. Louis mayor, said law enforcement has agreed to 11 of 19 proposed rules of engagement submitted by protest leaders, including avoiding the use of excessive force and communicating with protest organizers to de-escalate tense situations. The remainder, he said would interfere with police duties.
Police rejected requests from the Don't Shoot Coalition, a group of about 50 local organizations formed after Brown's death, that police avoid using armored vehicles, tear gas, rifles, rubber bullets and to don riot gear only as a last resort.
"We did not agree to some of the proposed rules because those rules would have limited officers' ability to keep people and property safe," Slay said.
No matter what the grand jury decides, Wilson could face civil rights charges brought by the Justice Department or a civil wrongful death lawsuit filed by Brown's parents. If indicted, Wilson will be arrested and his case would move through the court system.
Contributing: William M. Welch, Gregory Korte, USA TODAY; KSDK-TV, St. Louis
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