It appeared that the St. Louis suburb, which has become a flashpoint for U.S. race relations since Officer Darren Wilson killed 18-year-old Michael Brown on Aug. 9, will have to wait until at least Monday (lcoal time) and perhaps longer for an announcement.
The 12-member grand jury adjourned and will not resume meeting behind closed doors until Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing an unidentified St. Louis County official. Reuters could not confirm that report.
Media reports had suggested the panel would have a decision by this weekend. There have been nightly rallies and a high-profile law enforcement presence.
A lawyer for Michael Brown's family criticized how prosecutors have handled the grand jury process, which has dragged on longer than many expected.
The attorney, Benjamin Crump, told ABC's "This Week" program on Sunday it was the first time in his 20 years of practicing law that a prosecutor had not recommended charges to a grand jury hearing a case.
"Why you can't come in and recommend charges right now based on the probable cause?" Crump said, a reference to witnesses who said Brown had his hands up in the air, signaling surrender, when the officer shot him. Wilson's supporters say he shot Brown in self-defense.
St. Louis County prosecutors have said the grand jury's decision will be announced at a news conference, but the date, time and location remain unknown. Crump said he expected to get about six hours notice before an announcement.
Steady rain put a dampener on Saturday night's demonstrations in Ferguson. About 40 protesters, mostly teenagers, strode up and down a main street, waving upside-down U.S. flags and home-made placards and chanting, "We're young, we're strong, we're marching all night long."
Convoys of law enforcement vehicles patrolled after dark, and for a fourth straight night other protesters gathered outside police headquarters while a helicopter with a spotlight buzzed overhead.
As on previous evenings, demonstrators briefly blocked the road and there were at least two arrests: an activist from Chicago who has been detained three times since Wednesday, and a man identified as a Washington, D.C. based-reporter.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has declared a state of emergency and called in National Guard troops to back up police, which protesters have criticized as heavy-handed.
Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, told demonstrators on Saturday night they should remain peaceful whatever the grand jury decides.
