The governor of Missouri has ordered additional National Guard troops to Ferguson, a day after rioting broke out following the grand jury decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson for the shooting death of Michael Brown.
In a press conference Tuesday, Gov. Jay Nixon said 2,200 members of the National Guard would be called, media reported.
Nixon, in a statement posted to his website, said: "The Guard is providing security at the Ferguson Police Department, which will allow additional law enforcement officers to protect the public."
Neither the Missouri government nor the National Guard would comment further on the nature of the Guard activation. Monday night, after St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCulloch's announcement that the a grand jury would not indict, a mix of demonstrations and riots broke out. About a dozen buildings burned and 61 arrests were made in Ferguson overnight, accompanied by many reports of gunfire.
Members of Missouri National Guard are escorted out of the Buzz Westfall Justice Center on Nov. 24 in Clayton, Mo.
Photo Credit: Jeff Roberson/AP
Nixon issued an executive order on Nov. 17 that activated the Missouri National Guard to support law enforcement. He also established a unified command including state highway patrol, county police, and metro police to "keep members of the public safe and protect property, while allowing citizens to exercise their constitutional rights."
Media reported minimal-to-no Guard presence in Ferguson on Monday night, while a number of units were stationed in various parts of St. Louis County, including the courthouse in Clayton and parts of St. Louis.
Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder on Fox News criticized Nixon for not initially having the Guard in Ferguson, blaming the extent of destruction Monday night on the lack of Guard presence. The Republican said the only explanation he could think of was that President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder had pressured him to not call in the Guard.
The administration had been was critical of the initial activation of the Guard.
All questions about the Guard acultiple different Guard and Missouri offices were forwarded to an email address for the Missouri State Information Center. A note from that address said no information was being released beyond the governor's brief release announcing the call-up.
Brown, a black 18-year-old, was shot shortly after he allegedly robbed a convenient store. The large teen fought the white Wilson inside his car where Wilson's gun discharged and injured Brown. Brown then ran before turning back to Wilson. Wilson stopped him with several shots to his front including three as he fell, according to the autopsy report. Witness accounts vary widely; Wilson said Brown charged him.
The decision not to return an indictment, a
occurrence for a grand jury, exacerbated already existing racial tension and outrage over the shooting.
