Ferguson protests: Day 9 [live updates]

Gov. Jay Nixon calls off curfew, calls in National Guard; Holder heads to Missouri

Ferguson protests: Day 9 [live updates]

After another night of violent clashes between police and protesters in Ferguson, Mo., Gov. Jay Nixon issued an executive order early Monday calling in the National Guard to maintain order as tensions over the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, continue to rise. Check back here for live updates.

Update, 6:20 p.m. ET: CNN's Don Lemon, who has been reporting from Ferguson throughout the day, was threatened with arrest by a police officer while he was live on the air. The officer eventually moved past Lemon as police forced a large group of protesters to move from a sidewalk to an empty parking lot across the street.


Several minutes later, a photographer working for Getty Images was arrested.


Update, 6 p.m. ET:
"Mad Men" actor Jon Hamm, who grew up in Missouri, addressed the situation in Ferguson before Monday's St. Louis Cardinals home game.


Update, 5:45 p.m. ET:
Clashes between demonstrators and police have not been limited to Ferguson. In St. Louis, at least six people participating in a related protest outside a government office were arrested.

 

Update, 5:30 p.m. ET: The St. Louis County Police Department issued an alert to members of the media that "an organized protest zone is being established" at Ferguson and W. Florrisant avenues.


Update, 5 p.m. ET:
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch said a grand jury could begin hearing evidence in the case as early as Wednesday to determine whether Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson will face criminal charges.


Update, 4:54 p.m. ET:
In an interview on CNN, Gov. Nixon defended his decision to call in the National Guard.

"Yesterday, clearly a very criminal element" fired shots at police and attempted to overrun a command post, Nixon said.

The National Guard, he said, was called in to protect law enforcement so peaceful protests can continue. The governor also praised police for not firing back.

"When you're getting shot at," it's hard to do, Nixon said.

President Barack Obama pauses as he speaks at the White House, Aug. 18, 2014. (AP/Charles Dharapak)
President Barack Obama pauses as he speaks at the White House, Aug. 18, 2014. (AP/Charles Dharapak)

Update, 4:39 p.m. ET: At the White House, President Barack Obama announced that Attorney General Eric Holder will be traveling to Ferguson later this week to meet with prosecutors and community leaders.

"It's clear that the vast majority of people are peacefully protesting," Obama said of the protesters. "It's also clear a small minority of individuals are not."

Violence, he said, "undermines, rather than advances, justice."

"We must listen, and not just shout," Obama said. "Let's seek to heal rather than wound each other."

Obama did not comment on the specifics of the case. ("I have to be very careful about not prejudging these events," he said.) But the president did reference "My Brother's Keeper," his initiative to bridge opportunity gaps and inspire African-American boys to succeed.

"Part of the ongoing challenge of perfecting our union has involved dealing with communities that feel left behind," he said. “In too many communities around this country, young men of color are left behind and seen as objects of fear.”


Update, 4 p.m. ET:
At a press briefing, Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ronald Johnson says "peaceful protest will be allowed in Ferguson tonight." Looting, however, will not.

Update, 3:30 p.m. ET: Photos tweeted from Ferguson appear to show police arresting two men outside McDonald's.


Update, 3:05 p.m. ET:
The White House says President Barack Obama will give an update on the situations in Iraq and Ferguson at approximately 4 p.m. ET. Earlier, the president was briefed on the Missouri protests by Attorney General Eric Holder.


Update, 3 p.m. ET:
A national survey conducted by the Pew Research Center over the weekend found that the public is "divided over whether Brown’s shooting raises important issues about race or whether the issue of race is getting more attention than it deserves." And that divide is largely based on race.


Update, 2:45 p.m. ET:
NBC says that Brian Williams will anchor "NBC Nightly News" live from Ferguson tonight. CNN's Anderson Cooper is also there.


Update, 2:30 p.m. ET:
Police gather in front of Ferguson's QuikTrip, a convenience store that was destroyed during riots last week and later served a meeting point of sorts for protesters.


Update, 2:00 p.m. ET:
Earlier Monday, President Barack Obama met with Attorney General Eric Holder to receive an update on the situation in Ferguson.


Update, 1:42 p.m. ET: Outside of the fire station, faith leaders hold a small press conference urging protesters to "go home at sunset." Their message, though, came before Gov. Nixon announced there would be no curfew.


Update, 1:38 p.m. ET:
After two consecutive nights of clashes between police and protesters who ignored a curfew imposed by authorities, Gov. Nixon says there will not be a curfew in Ferguson tonight.


Update, 1:00 p.m. ET:
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that more than 12 people were treated for injuries during Sunday's demonstrations, the most since the protests over the August 9 shooting began.

Cover of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Aug. 18. 2014. (Courtesy Newseum.org)
Cover of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Aug. 18. 2014. (Courtesy Newseum.org)

Update, 12:15 p.m. ET: St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay tweeted his support of Nixon's decision to call in the National Guard, citing a "growing number of outside agitators."


Update, 11:15 a.m. ET:
Michael M. Baden, the former chief medical examiner for the City of New York, who performed an autopsy at the request of the family, tells reporters that Brown was shot at least six times. Baden says the bullet that likely killed Brown went "through the brain."

Lawyers for Brown's family say the results of the preliminary autopsy support witness accounts that Brown was trying to surrender when he was shot.

"Why would he be shot in the very top of his head? A 6-foot-4 man," attorney Daryl Parks says. "Makes no sense."


Near the end of the press conference, an audience member asks why, given those results, Wilson had not been arrested.

"Who gets arrested is not a forensic science decision," Baden says.

Update 11 a.m. ET: Attorney Benjamin Crump, the lawyer representing Brown's family, says his clients requested the independent autopsy to get answers to three questions:

"How many times was my child shot?"

"Was my child in pain?"

And, "What more do we have to give them to arrest the killer of my child?"

Update, 10:45 a.m. ET: Earlier Monday, Bobby Hughes, a St. Louis photojournalist, collected empty tear gas canisters and other items used by police over the weekend.


Update 10:15 a.m. ET:
In an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America," Lesley McSpadden, Michael Brown's mother, calls for Wilson's arrest, saying the officer should be held "accountable for his actions."

Update, 9:45 am. ET: Images of National Guard troops preparing for deployment on the streets of Ferguson begin to trickle in.


Update, 8:30 a.m. ET:
A copy of the executive order issued by Gov. Nixon has been released.


Update, 8 a.m. ET:
Public schools, which had been scheduled to open Monday, remain closed:


Due to continuing unrest in some areas of Ferguson, and in the interest of the safety of students and families, all schools in the Ferguson-Florissant School District will be closed Monday, Aug. 18. Information we have received from officials on the scene late Sunday evening has contributed to concerns we have about children walking to school or waiting for buses on streets impacted by this activity, debris on the roads that could impact transportation, and continued disruption affecting our students and families in the area. While our teachers, principals and administration are eager to welcome our students back to school and to begin the 2014-2015 school year, the safety of students is our primary concern.


Update, 7 a.m. ET:
CNN has obtained video from Piaget Crenshaw, who says she witnessed the shooting. The footage shows Wilson and another officer standing near Brown's body. Crenshaw said Brown was running away from police and then turned around when he was shot.


Update, 6:30 a.m. ET:
The New York Times reports that a private autopsy performed at the request of the family found that Brown was shot at least six times. The autopsy, performed by Dr. Michael M. Baden, former chief medical examiner for the City of New York, concluded that Brown was shot twice in the head and four times in his right arm. One of the shots entered the top of his skull, the Times said.

Below, an image from the private autopsy released by Brown's family.


Images and video posted to social media by journalists and others on the ground in Ferguson captured the chaos as it unfolded.