Michael Brown shooting and Ferguson aftermath timeline

A timeline of key events following the fatal police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri.

Aug. 9:Brown and a companion are confronted by an officer as they walk back to Brown's home from a convenience store. Brown and the officer are involved in some kind of scuffle, followed by gunshots. Brown dies at the scene.

Aug. 10:After a candlelight vigil, people protesting Brown's death smash car windows and carry away armloads of looted goods from stores. In the first of several nights of violence, looters are seen making off with bags of food, toilet paper and alcohol. Some protesters stand atop police cars and taunt officers.

Aug. 11: The FBI opens an investigation into Brown's death, and two men who said they saw the shooting tell reporters that Brown had his hands raised when the officer approached with his weapon and fired repeatedly. That night, police in riot gear fire tear gas and rubber bullets to try to disperse a crowd.

Aug. 12:Ferguson police chief Tom Jackson cancels plans to release the name of the officer who shot Brown, citing death threats against the police department and City Hall. President Barack Obama makes his first remarks about the incident, pleading for calm after two nights of clashes between police and protesters.

Aug. 13: Another night of violence wracks Ferguson, with some people lobbing Molotov cocktails and other objects at police, who respond with smoke bombs and tear gas. Two reporters are detained at a McDonald's. Images of the standoff, showing police using armoured vehicles and pointing assault rifles at the crowds, are widely shared on social media.

Aug. 14:The Missouri Highway Patrol takes control of security in Ferguson, relieving local police of their law-enforcement authority after four days of violence. Within hours, the mood among protesters becomes lighter, even festive. The streets are filled with music, free food and even laughter.

Aug. 15: Police identify the officer who shot Brown as Darren Wilson, a 28-year-old man who had patrolled the St. Louis suburbs for six years. They also release a video purporting to show Brown robbing a convenience store of almost $50 worth of cigars shortly before he was killed. The video draws anger from protesters. After nightfall, officers and the crowds clash again. Some people in the crowd storm into the same convenience store that Brown was accused of robbing and loot it.

Aug. 16:Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declares a state of emergency and imposes a curfew in Ferguson. The first night of the curfew ends with tear gas and seven arrests, after police in riot gear use armoured vehicles to disperse defiant protesters who refused to leave.

Aug. 17: Attorney General Eric Holder orders a federal medical examiner to perform another autopsy on Brown. The Justice Department cites the "extraordinary circumstances" surrounding the death and a request by Brown's family members. Police use tear gas to clear the street that has been the scene of most protests three hours ahead of the curfew after reports of gunfire, looting and people hurling Molotov cocktails.

Aug 18: Nixon calls the National Guard to Ferguson to help restore order and lifts the curfew imposed two days earlier. A pathologist hired by the family says an independent autopsy determined Michael Brown was shot at least six times, including twice in the head. A bullet wound to his right arm may indicate his hands were up or his back was turned, but the autopsy team can't be sure without more information, the pathologist said.

Aug. 20: In Clayton, Mo., a grand jury begins to hear evidence to determine whether Wilson should be charged.There is some controversy over the choice of prosecutor Bob McCullough, who has several relatives who working in policing, but he says he won't step aside. Meanwhile, Holder arrives from Washington to visit with Brown's family, Ferguson residents, and local law enforcement official.

Aug 21. After two nights of relative calm, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon orders the National Guard to withdraw from Ferguson.

Aug. 23: Obama orders a review of federal programs that distribute military hardware to local and state police forces, to see whether the equipment is necessary, and whether the jurisdictions are given proper training on employing the hardware.

Aug. 25: More than 4,500 mourners fill Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis to remember and mourn Brown. Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton calls for a movement to clean up police forces and the communities they serve. Among those in attendance: The parents of Trayvon Martin, several White House aides, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and some of Martin Luther King's children.

Aug. 27: St. Louis County police take down their command centre in the West Florissant area of Ferguson, saying reduced patrols will remain.

Sept. 3: In additionto an ongoing federal investigation into the shooting, the U.S. Justice Department announces a probe of the Ferguson Police Department, looking intoany patternsof discrimination within the department, how officers use force, search and arrest suspects, and treat inmates at the city jail. The police department said it welcomed the investigation.

Sept. 10: A St. Louis County family court judge denies a request from two media outlets for any Brown juvenile records. It's not known if Brown had such a record, and a juvenile court system lawyer previously said Brown never was convicted of a serious felony such as murder or burglary.

Sept. 16: The St. Louis Dispatch reports that Officer Wilson meets with the grand jury for about four hours. As expected, the grand jury investigation into Brown's death goes past the panel's four-month term. It is extended another four months, until January, though it won't necessarily take that long.

Sept. 25: A video is released in which Ferguson police chief Tom Jackson expresses condolences to the Brown family for their loss, and apologizes for the fact his body lay in the street for several hours. Jackson says he's committed to being part of the process to improve relations between police and the community, and that protesters who aren't peaceful won't be tolerated.

Oct 10-13: Four days of protests are held in the St. Louis Country area, culminating in "Moral Monday," a day in which dozens are arrested in relatively peaceful demonstrations. The protests occur just days after another black man, Vonderrit Myers Jr., is shot and killed by a police officer.

Nov. 23: Tensions rise on a weekend as many expected that mid- to late-November would be the date the grand jury would wrap up. Brown's family pleads for calm regardless of the result, although a cousin hints that the process won't be over even if Wilson isn't indicted, likely referring to a possible civil suit.

Nov. 24: Authorities indicate that a grand jury decision has been reached, and delay the announcement for hours, holding a press conference before to plead for calm regardless of the outcome. Around 9:30 p.m. ET, McCulloch announces that the grand jury elected not to indict Wilson, indicating that witness testimony had been inconsistent but that three autopsies on Brown were consistent.

Brown's family says they are 'profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions."

President Obama, speaking from the White House, stated: "There are Americans who agree with it, and there are Americans that are very disappointed, even angry. I join Michael's parents in asking anyone protesting this decision to do so peacefully."