St Louis - Missouri's governor has ended the state of emergency that he declared for the St. Louis area ahead of unrest over the Ferguson grand jury decision not to indict the white police officer who shot and killed unarmed African-American 18-year-old Michael Brown.
Gov. Jay Nixon removed the Missouri National Guard from duties on Wednesday in Ferguson, the city of St Louis and other nearby communities.
Nixon issued his executive order on 17 November Protests, including some that turned violent, broke out on 24 November after St Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch announced that a grand jury wouldn't indict Darren Wilson.
Twelve businesses in the Ferguson area were burned during the unrest immediately after McCulloch's announcement, but Nixon credited the work of police and the National Guard in preventing any protest-related deaths.