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Ferguson Mayor James Knowles: No Decision Yet On Wilson's Job

Police officer Darren Wilson's "current employment status has not changed," Ferguson Mayor James Knowles says, speaking one day after a grand jury declined to indict Wilson in the death of Michael Brown.

Saying that an internal affairs investigation into the August incident in which Wilson shot Brown to death is continuing, Knowles added that he couldn't go into more specifics than to say Wilson remains on administrative leave.

After Knowles gave an introductory speech, several clergy members went before the cameras to express their empathy for those hurt and frustrated by recent events in Ferguson — and to call for peace and cooperation in working to make things better.

"We condemn those acts, we condemn those things that were done," the Rev. Timothy Woods said. "We love people," he added. "The acts, we condemn."

After the religious leaders, Knowles returned to the podium to take questions.

He said he has been working to support Ferguson's businesses, adding that he has requested more support from state and county authorities to try to prevent a repeat of the damage and looting the city saw after the grand jury's decision was announced Monday night.

We've been sifting through hundreds of pages of documents released by St. Louis County last night, including some that detail the physical evidence in the case.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, D.C.