Ferguson grand jury reaches decision on Darren Wilson, reports say

UPDATE: Michael Brown’s family has been notified that Ferguson grand jury has reached a decision, family attoey tells CNN

The decision by a US grand jury about whether a white police officer should be indicted in the killing of an unarmed black teenager is expected to be announced within hours, according to American TV networks.

After meeting on Friday, the grand jury reconvened on Monday to consider possible charges against Darren Wilson, the white suburban St Louis officer who fatally shot Brown after a confrontation in August.

The shooting triggered riots and looting, and police responded with armored vehicles and tear gas. Many in the area thought a grand jury decision on whether to charge Wilson with a crime would be announced on Sunday, based partly on a stepped-up police presence in the preceding days, including the setting up of barricades around the building where the panel was meeting.

Downtown STL Inc, a St Louis civic group that promotes downtown businesses, told members in an email on Saturday that the grand jury will reconvene on Monday to continue deliberating. The email did not explain how the group knew that, and St Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch’s office has not commented on the grand jury’s schedule.

Tensions running high ... police officers secure an area around where a grand jury has been considering whether to indict Darren Wilson. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

Mr McCulloch has said he expected a grand jury decision by mid-to-late November, and it’ll be up to him to publicise it. But that’s not ultimately in his control. The 12-person grand jury deliberates in secret, without Mr McCulloch, and sets its own schedule depending upon when the members are available.

Benjamin Crump, an attoey for Brown’s family, said they are frustrated the prosecutor didn’t charge Wilson himself, or at least suggest a charge to grand jurors.

As it is, “you don’t have any direction, you’re just putting all the evidence out there and you’re going to let them figure it out and they can make up their own minds,” Mr Crump said. “You know, it just boggles the mind why he thinks this is fair.”

If jurors meet on Monday, there is no guarantee they will reach a decision that day, or even this week.

It’s not uncommon for deliberations to take a while in complex cases when, such as in the Brown shooting, self-defence is alleged or there are two widely conflicting versions of events, said Cole County Prosecutor Mark Richardson, who is not involved in the Ferguson case.

Protests ... demonstrators shout slogans during a march in St Louis, Missouri, on November 23. Picture: AFP Source: AFP