Jury decides not to indict Ferguson policeman accused of shooting dead an unarmed black teenager in August

A grand jury has ruled that Darren Wilson, a white police officer, accused of shooting dead an unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in August will not be charged.

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch announced the decision on Monday evening. A grand jury of nine white and three black members had been meeting weekly since August 20 to consider evidence.

McCulloch said members of the jury met for 25 days and heard over 70 hours of testimony from over 60 witnesses before reaching their decision. He confirmed Wilson had fired 12 shots at Brown, who was unarmed.

Brown’s Aug. 9 death sparked massive demonstrations in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson and a national conversation on race and law enforcement. Activists had predicted a new wave of demonstrations if Wilson was not indicted — not only in Ferguson, but in the greater St. Louis region and in other cities across the country…