According to officials, a memorial honoring slain teenager Michael Brown was burned early Tuesday morning. The memorial was set up feet from where Brown was fatally shot in broad daylight by Officer Darren Wilson.
According to MSNBC's Trymaine Lee, the Ferguson Fire Department was called at approximately 6:45 a.m. regarding a fire on Canfield Drive. Lee writes:
When the fire fighters arrived they found the burning memorial which residents had erected in Brown's honor. Firefighters extinguished the flames. For more than a month people had lit candles, laid cards and balloons and tied balloons to the monument...
Fire officials told NBC News on Tuesday that they were not sure what caused the fire but that there was evidence that candles were part of the memorial.
The spot where Brown died had become a sort of mecca for supporters and protesters. Clergy members held prayer circles that spanned the width of Canfield Drive, with folks bowing their heads and holding hands or linking arms.
Local residents and journalists took to social media to express their indignation.
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As Ferguson residents continue to mourn the teenager's death, as well as the backlash from violent clashes with the local police, the story of Michael Brown's death has largely fallen out of the spotlight.
As of Sept. 16, the grand jury in charge of deciding whether or not to indict Wilson has been extended 60 days, meaning that they now must make their decision by Jan. 7. Edward Magee, a spokesman for the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Robert P. McCulloch, said that "we don't believe it's going to take" until January for the jury to make a decision.
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