Ferguson Grand Jury: No Decision On Charges For Darren Wilson

A grand jury did not decide Friday whether to indict Police Officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in August, CNN reported. The network cited state and federal law-enforcement sources who said no decision was reached during deliberations, meaning an announcement is unlikely before next week.

A decision Friday would have meant the grand jury’s ruling would be announced by Sunday. CNN reporters said they do not know whether the grand jury reconvened Saturday or will wait until Monday. Activists and police in Ferguson have been anxiously awaiting the grand jury’s decision in the city for weeks. The deadline for a decision is not until January, but most analysts expect word to come before the end of the month.

The grand jury has been hearing testimony from witnesses for the last three months, and is still reviewing evidence in the case.

Two men who were identified as members of the New Black Panther Party were arrested Friday night on suspicion of planning to detonate a bomb during demonstrations in Ferguson. Both men were charged with federal firearms offenses, Reuters reported.

The men allegedly planned to detonate an explosive soon after the grand jury announced its decision on Wilson. Their affiliation with the New Black Panther Party was first reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Federal authorities reportedly searched two homes as part of the investigation.

A team of almost 100 federal law-enforcement agents arrived in the St. Louis area Friday, amid concerns about potentially violent protests erupting in the event the police officer was not indicted by the grand jury. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency Monday, bringing in the National Guard. Meanwhile, both U.S. President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder have called for peace in Ferguson, regardless of the jury’s decision.