The grand jury deliberating whether to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for the shooting death of Michael Brown has reached a decision, CNN and The Washington Post report.
The St. Louis County prosecutor's office is set to address the decision during a press conference at 8 p.m. CT.
Wilson fatally shot Brown, an unarmed black teenager, in the St. Louis suburb on Aug. 9, prompting months of protests. Demonstrations have again picked up as the nation awaits the grand jury's decision. The Huffington Post's Ryan J. Reilly reported from Ferguson on Sunday:
Police officers arrested a journalist during peaceful protests in Ferguson on Saturday night, amid widespread speculation that tensions could boil over in advance of a grand jury's ruling about the police officer who shot Michael Brown in August.
That arrest marred what was otherwise a professional and noncontroversial police response to demonstrations under the temporary leadership of Lt. Jerry Lohr of the St. Louis County Police Department. The department is sending officers to manage the police response to the protests on a rotational basis, and Lohr was on duty Saturday night. Lohr has been commended for regularly engaging in conversations with protesters gathered outside the Ferguson Police Department and for de-escalating situations that would likely have resulted in an aggressive police response on other nights.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard last week in anticipation of unrest following the grand jury's decision. The FBI also sent approximately 100 agents to the area.
In an interview with ABC News last week, President Barack Obama urged protesters to remain peaceful regardless of the grand jury's decision.
"This is a country that allows everybody to express their views," Obama said. "But using any event as an excuse for violence is contrary to rule of law and contrary to who we are."
This is a developing story and has been updated.
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