Ferguson, Missouri - The family of slain black teenager Michael Brown said they were “profoundly disappointed” by a grand jury's decision not to charge the white police officer who killed him, but pressed for calm.
Brown's mother Lesley McSpadden, in tears after the St Louis County prosecutor announced the grand jury's decision, was hugged by supporters outside the police station in Ferguson, Missouri.
“We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions,” the Brown family said in a statement.
“We respectfully ask that you please keep your protests peaceful. Answering violence with violence is not the appropriate reaction.”
Several hundred protesters gathered outside the police station in Ferguson, while police in riot gear lined up behind metal gates amid palpable tension and anger in the St Louis suburb that has been on edge for weeks as it awaited the decision in the racially-charged case.
“Hey, hey, ho, ho, these killer cops have got to go,” the crowd chanted, some throwing glass bottles at police.
In their statement, Brown's relatives urged supporters to join their campaign to ensure that police officers wear body cameras as they work the streets.
“We need to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen,” they said.
“Let's not just make noise, let's make a difference.”
Earlier, St Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch told reporters that a grand jury had reviewed the evidence gathered about the August shooting and “determined that no probable cause exists to file any charge against Officer (Darren) Wilson”.
Brown's parents are due to speak to reporters on Tuesday at 11am (17h00 GMT) at the Greater St Mark Missionary Baptist Church in St Louis. - AFP