Associated Press – November 18, 2014.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Missouri grand jury has been hearing evidence for months as it weighs whether to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the Aug. 9 fatal shooting of Michael Brown, which was followed by sometimes violent protests. Some answers to common questions about the grand jury:
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Q: What is the grand jury deciding?
A: The grand jury is considering whether there is enough evidence to charge Wilson with a crime and, if so, what that charge should be.
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Q: How is the grand jury different from other juries?
A: The grand jury will determine only whether probable cause exists to indict Wilson, not whether he is guilty. If the jury indicts him, a separate trial jury will be seated to decide whether to convict or acquit him.
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Q: When will the grand jury make a decision?
A: There is no specific date for a decision to be revealed. St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch has said he expects grand jurors to reach a decision in mid- to late November. But the timing ultimately is up to the grand jury.
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Q: How many people are on the grand jury and how were they selected?
A: The grand jury is composed of 12 people “selected at random from a fair cross-section of the citizens,” according to Missouri law. The jury is 75 percent white: six white men, three white women, two black women and one black man. St. Louis County overall is 70 percent white, but about two-thirds of Ferguson’s residents are black. Brown was black. The officer is white…read more.
