Breaking News: Missouri Governor Declares Emergency And Imposes Curfew In Ferguson

After a week of unrest following the fatal shooting of a black teenager by a police officer, Gov. Jay Nixon of Missouri on Saturday declared a state of emergency in Ferguson and ordered a curfew.

“We will not allow a handful of looters to endanger the rest of this community,” Governor Nixon said at a news conference in Ferguson. “If we going to achieve justice, we must first have and maintain peace.”

Capt. Ronald S. Johnson, the state Highway Patrol commander whose officers have overseen public security in Ferguson since Thursday, said that the curfew would begin Saturday and would run from midnight to 5 a.m. He did not say how long the curfew would last.

The announcement of a curfew prompted cries of protests from some members of the public who attended the news conference. But Captain Johnson said the curfew would be put in place and enforced.

“We won’t enforce it with trucks, we won’t enforce it with tear gas, we will enforce it with communication,” the Captain Johnson said. “We will be telling people, “It’s time to go home.”