Missouri Governor Jay Nixon Sends National Guard To Calm Unrest In Ferguson Over Mike Brown Death

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon ordered National Guard troops to Ferguson early Monday, where another night of curfew was imposed after police used tear gas to disperse protesters off the streets. The current unrest follows a week of violence over the death of Michael Brown, who was shot and killed on Aug. 9 by a local police officer.

A statement from the governor’s office said that the National Guard would “help restore peace and order and to protect the citizens of Ferguson.” Nixon condemned "violent criminal acts" such as "firing upon law enforcement officers, shooting a civilian, throwing Molotov cocktails, looting, and a coordinated attempt to block roads and overrun the Unified Command Center."

The shooting death of the 18-year-old black teen sparked riots, looting and clashes between police and protesters, and also triggered a civil rights investigation by the U.S. Justice Department.

“Given these deliberate, coordinated and intensifying violent attacks on lives and property in Ferguson, I am directing the highly capable men and women of the Missouri National Guard to assist Colonel Ron Replogle and the Unified Command in restoring peace and order to this community,” Nixon said, in the statement.

"These violent acts are a disservice to the family of Michael Brown and his memory and to the people of this community who yearn for justice to be served and to feel safe in their own homes.”

On Sunday night, authorities had reportedly said that they were responding to reports of gunfire, vandalism and looting.

“There were shootings, vandalism and other acts of violence that clearly appear not to have been spontaneous but premeditated criminal acts,” Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson told reporters, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“The catalyst was not civil disobedience, but pre-planned agitation,” he reportedly said.