FERGUSON, Mo. — On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown and his friends were walking down the middle of Canfield Drive, a two-way street in suburban St. Louis. .
After words were exchanged, the white officer confronted Brown 18-year-old, who is Black. The situation escalated, with officers and Brown scuffling. Officers shot and killed Brown, who was unarmed.
This story is part of an ongoing AP series exploring the impact, legacy and ripple effects of the so-called Ferguson uprising, which erupted a decade ago after the fatal shooting of Brown.
It marks the 10th anniversary of the shooting that was a pivotal moment in the national Black Lives Matter movement, and helped spur a reckoning of how Black people in Ferguson and elsewhere in the St.
Timeline of the main event after filming:
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Aug. 9, 2014: Brown’s bloodied body remained on the road for four hours in the summer. People in the neighborhood then attacked the police, saying that they were abusing them.
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Aug. 10, 2014: After holding a candlelight vigil, people protesting Brown’s death broke car windows and took away food, alcohol and other items stolen from stores. Some protesters stood by police cars, taunting officers. A QuikTrip store on West Florissant Avenue, just blocks from where Brown was shot, ransacked and burned. Other businesses are damaged or destroyed. It was the first of several riotous nights. The protests helped fuel the Black Lives Matter movement that formed after the 2012 death of Black teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida and the acquittal of the neighborhood watch volunteer who shot him.
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Aug. 11, 2014: The FBI opened an investigation into Brown’s death, and two people who said they saw the shooting told reporters that Brown had his hand raised when officers fired repeatedly. That night, the police used tear gas and rubber bullets to try to disperse the crowd of protesters.
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Aug. 14, 2014: Missouri State Highway Patrol took control of security, relieving Ferguson and St. The shift in command came after images from protests showed scores of officers equipped with military-style gear, including armored vehicles, body armor and assault rifles. In photos circulated online, officers are seen pointing weapons at protesters.
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Aug. 15, 2014: Police identified the officer who shot Brown as Darren Wilson, who has been with the department since 2011. They also released surveillance video showing Brown grabbing a large cigarette from behind the Ferguson Market counter and shoving a worker who confronted him as he left the store. Police said Brown took almost $50 worth of cigarillos. The release of the video angered the protesters.
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Aug. 16, 2014: Missouri Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew in Ferguson.
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Aug. 18, 2014: Nixon calls the National Guard into Ferguson to help restore order. He lifted the curfew.
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Aug. 20, 2014: US Attorney General Eric Holder visited Ferguson to provide assurances about the investigation into Brown’s death and meet with investigators​​​​​​ and the Brown family. A grand jury began hearing evidence to determine whether Wilson should be indicted.
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Aug. 21, 2014: Nixon orders National Guard withdrawal from Ferguson.
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SEPT. 25, 2014: Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson released a video apologizing to the Brown family and trying to show solidarity with the protesters. The movement backfired when Ferguson officers clashed with protesters and arrested one man moments after Jackson, who is white, joined the group.
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Nov. 17, 2014: Nixon declared a state of emergency and reactivated the National Guard ahead of a grand jury decision. He put the Ferguson police in charge of maintaining security in Ferguson, ordering them to be a joint command with other departments.
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Nov. 18, 2014: Nixon names 16 people to the Ferguson Commission, an independent panel empowered to examine race relations, failing schools and other social and economic issues. Nine of its members are Black. Seven are white.
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Nov. 24, 2014: St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch announced that the grand jury has decided not to indict Wilson. A spirited but peaceful protest later in the day turned violent. At least a dozen buildings and several police cars were burned, officers were hit by rocks and batteries, and reports of gunfire forced several flights to St.
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Nov. 29, 2014: Wilson announced his resignation from the Ferguson Police Department effective immediately.
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MARCH 4, 2015: The US Department of Justice announced that it would not prosecute Wilson in Brown’s death but released a scathing report that found racial bias in the way police and courts in the community treated black people.
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MARCH 11, 2015: Jackson resigned effective March 19. The police chief is the sixth employee to resign or be fired following the Justice Department report. He was replaced on an interim basis by the top commander, Lt. Col. Al Eickhoff, who is also white.
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MARCH 12, 2015: Two St. Louis area police officers were shot in front of the Ferguson Police Department during a demonstration by protesters. Three days later, a 20-year-old man was charged with first-degree assault in the shooting.
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APRIL 7, 2015: In the first Ferguson municipal election since Brown’s death, two of the three elected City Council members are Black. Blacks now hold three of the six seats, compared to one seat before the election.
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APRIL 23, 2015: Brown family lawyers sue the cities of Ferguson, Wilson and Jackson.
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MAY 20, 2015: A large makeshift memorial that stood in the middle of Canfield Drive for months, on the same spot where Brown’s body was, was cleared on what would have been his 19th birthday, giving way to a permanent plaque placed nearby. in remembrance.
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JUNE 9, 2015: Ferguson hires new municipal judge and interim city manager, both Black.
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JULY 10, 2015: Nixon signs legislation limiting the city’s ability to earn revenue from traffic tickets and court fines, the first major step taken by state lawmakers to address concerns raised after Brown’s death. Among other things, the law lowers the percentage of revenue the city can collect from traffic fines and fees from 30% to 20%.
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July 22, 2015: Andre Anderson, Black, a longtime police administrator in suburban Phoenix, was introduced as Ferguson’s new interim police chief.
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SEPT. 14, 2015: The Ferguson Commission released a report on the economic and racial factors that led to the unrest after Brown’s death.
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JAN. 27, 2016: Ferguson announced a tentative deal with the Justice Department to reform the city’s police and municipal courts. Inspection is recommended after seven months of consultation.
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FEB. 9, 2016: The Ferguson City Council unanimously voted to revise the agreement with the Department of Justice, proposing seven amendments that the mayor said were formulated after an analysis showed the deal was too expensive and could lead to Ferguson’s dissolution. The Justice Department responded by suing Ferguson.
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MARCH 2016: Former Miami police officer Delrish Moss, who is black, is named Ferguson’s police chief after a nationwide search.
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APRIL 19, 2016: Ferguson and the Justice Department reach an agreement that ends the lawsuit and calls for reforms to the city’s police and court systems.
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APRIL 4, 2017: Mayor James Knowles III, who is white, is re-elected to a third three-year term, overcoming opposition from Ella Jones, a Black city councilwoman.
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June 20, 2017: A federal judge in St.
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JULY 26, 2017: The Ferguson Community Empowerment Center opens at the site where a QuikTrip store was burned a day after Brown’s death. The center is the Metropolitan Urban League of St. Louis, Salvation Army and other offices.
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SEPT. 15, 2017: Former police officer of the city of St. Smith was suspected of making a drug deal and was killed after a car chase with police. The massive protest that followed Stockley’s release was the largest in the St. Louis area. Louis began after Brown’s death.
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Aug. 7, 2018: In a stunning upset, Ferguson City Councilman Wesley Bell defeated 28-year incumbent McCulloch in the Democratic primary for St. Louis County prosecutor. Bell, who is black, was unopposed in the November election and took office in January 2019. McCulloch, who is white, is seen as an old-school, law-and-order prosecutor who drew criticism for his handling of the Wilson investigation. Bell ran on a platform of reform, saying he would work to reduce incarcerations and start a unit to investigate officer-involved shootings.
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APRIL 2, 2019: Brown’s mother, Lesley McSpadden, loses her bid for a Ferguson City Council seat. He finished third in a three-way race in Ferguson’s Ward 3. He promised to stay active in the community.
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JULY 23, 2019: New Police Chief Jason Armstrong is sworn in. Taking on the role of interim chief, Armstrong, who is black, became Ferguson’s fifth chief since Jackson resigned in 2015.
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JUNE 2, 2020: City Councilwoman Ella Jones is elected mayor of Ferguson, becoming the city’s first black mayor. Knowles, a three-term incumbent, cannot seek a fourth three-year term because of term limits.
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Aug. 4, 2020: Cori Bush, known for her leadership during the protests in Ferguson, upset longtime US representative William Lacy Clay in Missouri’s 1st District Democratic primary. Bush won easily in November 2020.
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AUGUST 2021: Frank McCall is promoted to police chief to replace Armstrong, who left for another job.
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APRIL 2023: Ella Jones is re-elected mayor, winning by 21 votes.
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APRIL 2023: Troy Doyle is named police chief, replacing McCall, who resigned. Doyle spent more than thirty years with the St. Louis County Police Department.
___ GREAT. 6, 2024: Bell, the attorney of St. Louis County, defeated Bush in Missouri’s 1st Democratic District primary. Pro-Israel groups are spending millions to oust Bush, who has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s response to the October attacks by Hamas.
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Check out the AP’s full coverage of the shooting of Michael Brown and the events that followed.
