Governor of the US state of Missouri Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency Monday ahead of a grand jury’s decision on whether to indict a police officer in the killing of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. He says the move is a precaution in the event of unrest or violence.
It’s unknown when the grand jury will hand down a decision on whether to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson for his fatal shooting of Brown. Prosecutors have suggested the grand jury would be done deliberating in mid- to late November, the CNN reported.
Nixon said he signed the executive order because of the “possibility of expanded unrest.”
Brown was killed by Wilson, a white police officer, on August 9. The grand jury is weighing whether to indict Wilson.
There are conflicting accounts of what happened, with some witnesses saying Brown had his hands up in surrender when he was shot and others describing a physical altercation between Brown and Wilson.
Residents of Ferguson, which saw weeks of sometimes violent protests following the shooting, are braced for the possibility of more unrest, particularly if the grand jury decides not to criminally charge Wilson.
The state of emergency will expire in 30 days unless extended by another order.
