Ferguson grand jury has reached decision in Michael Brown case, announcement tonight

By RYAN GORMAN

The grand jury deciding the fate of Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot dead an unarmed black teen this past August, has reached a decision, according to multiple media reports.

Jurors have been deliberating for several weeks whether to charge Wilson with murder for the August 9 shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown. Officials have given word the announcement will be made at 8:00 p.m. local time.

CNN, Bloomberg and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, citing local law enforcement officials, said the St. Louis County prosecutor would announce a decision Monday. The teen's family has been made aware a decision has been reached, according to NBC News.

The Washington Post, citing sources close to the process, said both the prosecutor's and Missouri governor's offices were preparing for press conferences likely to come later Monday.

Brown's family has continued its pleas for peace, no matter the decision, and asked for four-and-a-half minutes of silence following Monday night's announcement.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has arrived in St. Louis is scheduled to speak with local clergy in the area at 4:00 p.m., KSDK reported.

Various reports showed him appearing at a local burger bar, on W. Florissant Avenue and other locations in the hours leading up to the official announcement.

The country has been eagerly awaiting the announcement since the August shooting, and the predominantly black Ferguson community is poised to erupt should a jury decide against indicting the white officer.

Reports of businesses closing in advance of the announcement have quickly begun pouring in.

Many stores remain open, but are heavily boarded up. A number of school districts in Ferguson have closed for either Tuesday or the rest of the week.

Post by Ferguson-Florissant School District.

Several civil rights leaders have joined the procession of people calling for a murder trial.

Protestors have already begun gathering in multiple locations around Ferguson, including the police department parking lot.

Should Wilson be sent to trial, he could potentially face the death penalty. Missouri is a capital punishment state.

This is a developing story. More details will come as they are made available.

The Associated Press contributed to this report