State of emergency in Ferguson

Nixon declared a state of emergency on Saturday evening, imposing a five-hour curfew in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson after reports of looting and violence in the town.

"To protect the people and property of Ferguson today, I signed an order declaring a state of emergency and ordering implementation of a curfew in the impacted area of Ferguson," Nixon told reporters.

Ferguson security chief Captain Ron Johnson said the curfew would begin overnight and last from midnight to 5 a.m (0500 to 1000 UTC).

Johnson also said that some 40 FBI agents were involved in door-to-door enquiries, talking to residents who might have seen or have information about the shooting.

Anger over robbery link

Tensions grew late on Friday in the town after police released the name of the officer who fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown, with documents released by the police which linked Brown with the a nearby store robbery. The family described the police report as a "devious" attempt to smear their son's character. The teenager was said to have had his hands in the air, in an apparent gesture of surrender, at the time of the shooting.

Earlier in the week, police were criticized for their use of tear gas and rubber bullets against protesters. According to police, one canister of tear gas was also deployed on Friday night.

The officer who killed Brown was named a as 28-year-old Darren Wilson, who had served with the police for six years. Wilson was placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting and it is expected to take several weeks until initial investigations into the teenager's death are wrapped up.

rc/mkg (AP, Reuters, dpa)