FERGUSON, Mo. — Despite preparations for a weekend decision in the Ferguson shooting case, the grand jurors apparently need more time. The uncertainty seemed to feed anxiety and speculation Sunday in a city already on edge.
More than 3½ months have passed since police Officer Darren Wilson, who is white, killed unarmed black teenager Michael Brown after a confrontation in the St. Louis suburb. The shooting triggered riots, and police responded with armored vehicles and tear gas.
Many in the area thought a grand jury decision on whether to charge Wilson with a crime would be announced Sunday, based partly on a stepped-up police presence in the preceding days, including the setting up of barricades around the building where the panel was meeting.
The grand jurors met Friday but apparently didn’t reach a decision. They were expected to reconvene Monday, though there was no official confirmation of that.
During church services Sunday, some pastors encouraged their flocks not to fret. At the predominantly black Greater Grace Church in Ferguson, the pastor, Bishop L.O. Jones, referred to the pending grand jury decision briefly.
“Everybody stand to your feet and tell somebody, ‘Don’t be afraid. God is still in control,’ ” Jones said.
Some people have continued protests, while speculation has grown that the delays are intentional.
“People feel like it’s been engineered, so that the results wouldn’t come out until after the election and until the weather got cold, and it would be more difficult to protest,” said Susan McGraugh, supervisor of the Criminal Defense Clinic at the Saint Louis University School of Law. “It’s really adding fuel to the fire.”
