FERGUSON, Missouri (AP) – Missouri Governor Jay Nixon says no curfew will be in place early tomorrow morning in Ferguson, and the National Guard keeping watch there will have immediate and limited responsibilities.
A midnight to 5 a.m. curfew had been in place the previous two nights.
Nixon ordered the National Guard into the St Louis suburb following another night of rioting, more than a week after a Ferguson police officer fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown.
In a statement today, Nixon said Missouri National Guard Brigadier General Gregory Mason would oversee Guard operations in Ferguson under the overall command of the state highway patrol. He says the Guard’s limited role will be to provide protection and ensure the safety of the police command centre that was believed to be targeted last night.
Meanwhile, a St Louis County autopsy has found that the unarmed Brown was shot six to eight times.
County medical examiner’s office administrator Suzanne McCune says the autopsy showed Brown was hit in the head and chest. McCune would not confirm whether Brown was hit elsewhere on his body or discuss other details.
Full findings of the autopsy aren’t expected for about two weeks.
Earlier today, attorneys for Brown’s family released details of their own autopsy and said Brown was shot at least six times. That procedure also found that one of the bullets entered the top of Brown’s skull, suggesting his head was bent forward when he suffered the fatal injury.
