The prosecutor, Robert McCulloch, said that some witnesses gave conflicting statements, and that others turned out not to have seen the shooting at all.
“As tragic as this is, it was a not a crime,” McCulloch said.
Twelve miles away in St. Louis, windows were smashed, and police made 21 arrests, including for unlawful gun possession, property destruction and burglary. Mayor Francis Slay said at daylight that the violence was unacceptable.
He said that it “not only puts a black eye on our community, but it really sets back the cause of social justice. Violence doesn’t solve anything.”
Chief Sam Dotson of the St. Louis police said he was proud of his officers. He said that bands of opportunistic people had roamed the city, but “at every turn they encountered police officers or members of the National Guard.”
But the scene was much worse in Ferguson. At a news conference overnight, Johnson said: “We talk about peaceful protest, and that didn’t happen tonight. Change is created through our voice and not through destruction of our community. Right now, this community is really fractured.”
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