Ferguson Shooting Case: TV News Pounces on Grand Jury Decision Not to Indict Darren Wilson for Michael Brown Shooting (Updated)
Broadcast networks and cable news channels break in with special coverage of decision in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by officer Darren Wilson, and President Obama calls for calm
TV news went wall-to-wall Monday night as the Ferguson grand jury reached a decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for the Aug. 9th shooting that killed unarmed 18-year-old teenager Michael Brown.
Minutes after the decision was announced, President Barack Obama held a news conference from the White House and called for calm.
“We are a nation built on the rule of law, so we need to accept that this decision was the grand jury’s to make,” Mr. Obama said. “I join Michael’s parents asking anyone who protests this decision to do so peacefully.” The President did not give a firm answer to a press question on whether he will go to Ferguson himself.
Earlier in the evening, St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCullough gave a lengthy statement on the decision, followed by taking questions from the press. In his remarks, McCullough pointed blame at the 24/7 cable news cycle that wants information quickly and decisions made based on emotions and preconceived notions instead of facts.
It didn’t take long for violence to break out in Ferguson, with protesters toppling police cars, reports of gunfire, and tear gas being dispersed.
As for the media coverage, ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos anchored special coverage on ABC of the grand jury decision, which was announced outside the Buzz Westfall Justice Center in Clayton, Missouri. NBC News’ Brian Williams provided the network’s special coverage, and Scott Pelley anchored special coverage for CBS News.
CNN, Fox News and MSNBC also launched into extensive live coverage of the grand jury’s decision. For CNN, Anderson Cooper, Don Lemon, Jake Tapper, and Chris Cuomo are on the ground hosting their respective shows. The network also has Ana Cabrera, Jason Carroll, Stephanie Elam, Sunny Hostin, Ed Lavandera, Evan Perez, and Sara Sidner on the ground in Ferguson.
For MSNBC, Chris Hayes hosted his primetime program “All In” at 8pm ET from Ferguson and will be live at 11pmET. Other MSNBC personalities on the ground include Craig Melvin, Trymaine Lee, Zack Roth, and Amanda Sakuma. Fox News’ entire primetime lineup is live from 8pm-11pm ET, with extended live coverage from 11pm to 1amET. 8pm-10pm is the normal lineup of Bill O’Reilly, Megyn Kelly, and Sean Hannity. At 11pm, Shepard Smith will anchor live from the Fox News Deck. At midnight ET, Megyn Kelly will air a second live edition of “The Kelly File.” FNC correspondents Mike Tobin, Steve Harrigan and Adam Housley are reporting on the ground in Clayton.
As local residents anxiously awaited the decision, Brown’s parents called for calm. They also called for a four-and-a-half-minute moment of silence after the decision. The chosen time period represents the four-and-a-half hours that Brown’s body was left in the streets of Ferguson on Aug. 9.
“Hurting others or destroying property is not the answer,” Michael Brown Sr said in a video posted online Thursday.
Meanwhile, on Nov. 17, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency and authorized the National Guard to assist police officers following the grand jury decision.
“People need to feel safe and to achieve those goals, we need to be prepared,” Nixon said at a news conference.
The FBI also warned police departments around the country that the decision “will likely” lead violent extremists and agitators to exploit peaceful protests and attack law enforcement officers, ABC News reported.
Days before the grand jury ruling, a newly surfaced police radio recording and videos from surveillance cameras at the Ferguson Police Department shed new light on the day that Brown, 18, died.
The audio recording, obtained by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch via Missouri’s Sunshine Law revealed the fatal encounter between Brown and Wilson lasted less than two minutes.
The videos, also obtained by the Post-Dispatch, showed Wilson leaving the Ferguson police station with other officers and a police union lawyer two hours after the fatal shooting, the newspaper reported. The new evidence fueled emotions on both sides.
In the lead-up to the decision, police in Ferguson and the surrounding St. Louis area prepared for widespread demonstrations. But Governor Nixon warned that no matter the decision, “violence will not be tolerated.”
Nixon cited the “senseless acts of violence and destruction” in the wake of the August shooting as “not representative of Missouri and it cannot be repeated.”
He said, “Citizens should be able to express themselves peacefully without being threatened by people expressing violence and disorder.”
Everyone from activist groups to schools and businesses braced for the decision and the possibility of violence.
Residents stocked up on food and water, businesses were boarded up, and according to local media reports, gun sales surged.
Update: Michael Brown’s parents, Lesley McSpadden and Michael Brown, Sr. released a statement in response to the grand jury decision.
“We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions. While we understand that many others share our pain, we ask that you channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change. We need to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen. Join with us in our campaign to ensure that every police officer working the streets in this country wears a body camera. We respectfully ask that you please keep your protests peaceful. Answering violence with violence is not the appropriate reaction. Let’s not just make noise, let’s make a difference.”
Lesley McSpadden and Michael Brown, Sr.
Anita Bennett and Jason Hughes contributed to this report
Ferguson Fallout: The Scene Following Decision Not to Indict Officer Darren Wilson (Photos)
Police officers march by a burning squad car during a demonstration in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Looters run out of a store in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Looters break into a business during unrest in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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A protester is surrounded by tear gas in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Firefighters try to extinguish a burning restaurant in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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A restaurant is set on fire by protesters in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Protesters kneel with their hands up in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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A row of cars is set on fire at a used car lot during a demonstration in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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St. Louis Co. Prosecutor Robert McCulloch announces the grand jury's decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in Clayton, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Demonstrators in Ferguson, Missouri listen to a car radio as the grand jury's decision is delivered on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Heavily armed police officers confront protesters in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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St. Louis County police officers in riot gear guard the Ferguson police department on Nov. 24, 2014.
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A suspected looter is detained outside a Dollar Store in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Police deploy tear gas during a demonstration in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.
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CNN Reporter Sara Sidner was hit in the head with a rock while covering the Ferguson unrest on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Protesters march in New York City following the grand jury decision in Missouri, Nov. 24, 2014.
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Protesters march through the streets of New York City after learning Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson would not be charged, Nov. 24, 2014.
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A woman faces police officers on the Harbor Freeway (110) in Los Angeles during a protest against the Ferguson grand jury decision on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Protesters gather outside a shopping center in the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Protesters in Beverly Hills block traffic at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Dr. in reaction to the Ferguson grand jury decision on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Protesters gather outside the White House after the Ferguson grand jury decision on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Hundreds of protesters, many of them Howard University students, gather outside the White House after the Ferguson grand jury decision on Nov. 24, 2014.
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President Barack Obama calls for calm during a news conference in Washington, DC after the grand jury's decision on Nov. 24, 2014.
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Brown family attorney Benjamin Crump speaks during a press conference about the Ferguson grand jury decision in Dellwood, Missouri on Nov. 25, 2014.
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A worker cleans up glass at a business that was damaged during a demonstration following the grand jury decision in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 25, 2014.
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Ferguson Mayor James W. Knowles III addresses the delayed deployment of the National Guard at a press conference in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 25, 2014.
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Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon speaks about the widespread rioting and looting following the Ferguson grand jury decision during a news conference on Nov. 25, 2014.
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Missouri national guardsmen line up in front of the Ferguson police station on Nov. 25, 2014, ready to be deployed a day after demonstrators caused extensive damage in the city after the grand jury decision.
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Police officers secure the Los Angeles Police Department Headquarters after protesters pushed over barricades during demonstrations on Nov. 25, 2014.
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A protester sits in the back of a Los Angles Police Department transport bus in the early morning hours of Nov. 26, 2014, after being arrested at a protest against the Ferguson grand jury decision.
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Police arrest a Ferguson protester during the early morning hours of Nov. 26, 2014.
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A protester has her eyes flushed after being pepper sprayed by police in Ferguson on Nov. 26, 2014.
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Protesters turned over a police car during a demonstration on Nov. 25, 2014 in Ferguson.
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Lesley McSpadden, mother of Michael Brown Jr., attends a press conference in New York City on Nov. 26, 2014 to pray and address the events of the last few days.
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Protesters set up barricades and block the 101 freeway in Los Angeles following the Ferguson grand jury decision, during a protest on Nov. 25, 2014.
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Violence erupts in Ferguson, and protests are held across the country after a grand jury decided Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson would not face criminal charges in the shooting death of Michael Brown
Police officers march by a burning squad car during a demonstration in Ferguson, Missouri on Nov. 24, 2014.