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Obama calls for calm before Ferguson decision

November 24, 2014

Tensions are high in the US city of Ferguson, Missouri, over whether a white policeman will face charges in the fatal August shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. A jury decision is believed to be imminent.

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Ferguson Police Station Protest Gedenken Michael Brown
Image: Reuters/Adrees Latif

Multiple US media outlets reported on Monday that a grand jury had reached a decision on whether to indict Darren Wilson, a white police officer in the city of Ferguson, over the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

Brown's death on August 9 sparked angry demonstrations over racism and police brutality. The decision over whether or not to charge Wilson could bring more unrest to Ferguson, a largely black suburb of St. Louis.

The White House said on Monday that US President Barack Obama urged protesters to demonstrate peacefully.

The circumstances surrounding Brown's death are disputed. Police allege Brown was a suspect in a robbery in which cigars were taken from a convenience store, but that he was stopped by Wilson for another reason.

According to the police, he then tried to grab the policeman's gun and was shot by Wilson. Some witnesses say Brown had his hands raised in surrender.

Results from a preliminary investigation in mid-August revealed that the unarmed teen was shot at least six times, with two bullets fired at the head.

Over the weekend, police in Cleveland shot dead a black child who was waving a replica gun. The police officers shot the 12-year-old boy, identified by authorities as Tamir Rice, after receiving a phone call saying someone was waving around a gun at a playground outside a city recreation center.

jr/msh (AP, Reuters, AFP)