Ferguson riots: President Obama calls for calm as violence and looting erupts over police killing of teenager Michael Brown

 
Unrest: Police confront protesters after rioting broke out following the grand jury announcement in the Michael Brown case (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
David Gardner25 November 2014

Violence erupted across an embattled American suburb today after a white police officer was told he will not face prosecution for shooting dead an unarmed black teenager.

More than 150 gunshots were fired as hundreds of enraged protesters poured into the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, torching cars and buildings, smashing windows and looting shops.

Police used tear gas and bean bag guns to combat rock and bottle-throwing rioters as President Obama appealed for calm in the St Louis suburb that has become a flashpoint for race relations in the United States.

“This is not just an issue for Ferguson. This is an issue for America,” the president said at the White House. “We do have work to do here, and we shouldn’t try to paper over it.”

But he insisted nothing would be solved “by throwing bottles, by smashing car windows or using this as an excuse to vandalize property, and it certainly won’t be done by hurting anybody.”

The parents of 18-year-old Michael Brown condemned the decision not to press charges against Officer Darren Wilson over the August shooting, saying they were “profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequences of his actions.

“While we understand that many others share our pain,” added the teen’s parents Lesley McSpadden and Michael Brown in a statement, “We respectfully ask that you please keep your protests peaceful. Answering violence with violence is not the appropriate reaction.”

Any hopes of avoiding a violent response to the long-awaited decision were quickly dashed as angry marchers surrounded Ferguson’s besieged police station.

Ferguson riots: in pictures

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Demonstrators in the predominantly black community – which has a largely white police force – fought pitched battles in the streets with riot police minutes after the 8.30pm announcement.

Police cars and buildings were smashed and torched. At least a dozen buildings were set on fire – including a storage centre, a pizza restaurant and a meat market - as officers struggled to keep control of masked mobs.

A Toys R Us and an off licence were among the shops that were looted while police chief Jon Belmar said he personally had heard about 150 gunshots fired. However no serious injuries were reported. At least 29 people were arrested.

Simmering unrest has been building up in Ferguson since the shooting that followed a brief struggle in Wilson’s police car and the authorities were bracing for a furious reaction after a grand jury decided against prosecuting the officer.

Brown’s family says the teenager was trying to surrender when he was shot six times while Wilson’s supporters insist he was acting in self defence.

Announcing the jury vote, St Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch pointed out that many early reports in the incident were found not to be true by the official investigation, such as an accusation that Officer Wilson stood over Brown’s body and fired the fatal shots into his back.

Anger: protesters attempt to tip a police car (AP Photo/David Goldman)

The autopsy revealed that Wilson shot Brown dead as the young man walked towards him, not as he was running away.

Wilson claimed he was punched in the face after identifying Brown as a possible suspect in a shop theft.

According to grand jury testimony, an ‘aggressive’ Michael Brown taunted Wilson moments before he was killed, telling him, “You are too much of a p***y to shoot me.”

A statement released on Wilson’s behalf said he acted “in accordance with the laws and regulations that govern the procedures of an officer.”

Brown’s mother, Lesley McSpadden collapsed in tears after the announcement. “This is wrong!” she sobbed. “Everybody wants me to be calm but you know how them bullets hit my son.”

Call for calm: President Obama making an address (EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS)

Brown’s stepfather Louis Head jumped up and down in anger and said: “Burn this b**** down! Burn this b**** down!”

In New York, about 2,000 people also marched through the streets of midtown Manhattan calling for justice.

One demonstrator hurled blood-red paint that hit Police Commissioner William Bratton, splattering his face.

There were also protests in Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington DC.

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