Brown Family: Grand Jury Process 'Unfair'

An attorney for Michael Brown's family has blasted the county prosecutor who oversaw the grand jury process in Ferguson.

The grand jury's decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson for shooting dead Mr Brown in August has provoked some of the worst race riots in the US for years.

Lawyer Benjamin Crump told reporters that the teenager's family "strenuously objected" to prosecutor Bob McCulloch being allowed to handle the case.

"We object publicly and as loudly as we can on behalf of Michael Brown Jr's family that this process is broken," Mr Crump said.

He also said the grand jury process was "unfair" and questioned why Officer Wilson was not cross-examined while testifying.

"The prosecutor is supposed to prosecute, not be the defence attorney," Mr Crump said.

Civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton also criticised Mr McCulloch, saying the Brown family was "not surprised" by the outcome.

"We may have lost one round, but the fight is not over," said Rev Sharpton.

The Missouri town of Ferguson woke up to millions of dollars worth of damage caused by rioting in response to the grand jury's verdict.

Around a dozen buildings were set ablaze.

Ferguson Mayor James Knowles said National Guard troops "were not deployed in enough time to save all our businesses".

He called the delay "deeply concerning".

The mayor called on Governor Jay Nixon to "make available and deploy all available resources" ahead of a possible second night of violent protests.

Mr Nixon earlier on Tuesday announced he would send additional troops to assist local authorities.

Several protests in the area continued on Tuesday, including a group of about 300 who overturned barricades outside the federal courthouse in downtown St Louis.

Protestors chanted: "You didn't indict. We shall fight."

Monday night's protests were more destructive than any of the others in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, and they represented some of the worst racially charged riots in years.

Authorities reported hundreds of gunshots and looting as windows of police cars and stores were smashed and a group mobbed a police car.

As protesters hurled objects at officers, police fired tear gas and flash bang canisters at them.

More than 80 people were arrested, officials said, though no serious injuries were reported.

Protests also were staged in New York, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, Oakland, California, and Washington, DC, over the case, which has highlighted long-standing racial tensions across America.

Schools in Ferguson and surrounding areas did not open on Tuesday and city offices in Ferguson were also closed.

Jon Belmar, chief of the St Louis County police, said that unless his agency could bring in 10,000 officers, "I don't think we can prevent folks who really are intent on destroying a community."

Violence flared up moments after the decision was announced, and the situation quickly got worse.

Mr Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, sat atop a vehicle listening to a broadcast of the announcement. When she heard the decision, she burst into tears and began screaming before being whisked away by supporters.

Video captured Mr Brown's stepfather, Louis Head, embracing Ms McSpadden before turning to fellow protestors and repeatedly yelling: "Burn this b**** down!"

On Tuesday, Mr Crump said Mr Head's outburst was based on "raw emotion" and was "not appropriate at all".

Mr McCulloch said the jury of nine white people and three black people heard more than 70 hours of testimony from about 60 witnesses, including three medical examiners and experts on blood, toxicology and firearms.

After three months, the panel concluded that Officer Wilson, who testified that he feared for his life , had acted in self-defence.

Witnesses disagreed on whether Mr Brown's hands were up at the time he was shot, Mr McCulloch said, adding that Officer Wilson shot at the teen 12 times.

Lawyers for Mr Brown's family say he was trying to surrender when he was shot.