JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Newly released records show Missouri's governor was inundated with criticism for failing to prevent civil unrest when a grand jury decided not to charge a Ferguson policeman who killed Michael Brown.
The documents provided to The Associated Press show that Gov. Jay Nixon received hundreds of online messages from people expressing bewilderment, frustration and outrage that the National Guard wasn't used to prevent arsons and looting.
About 700 guardsmen were deployed in the St. Louis area on Nov. 24, but none were positioned near the neighborhood where Brown had been shot.
A Nixon spokesman says the Guard was in a "support role" to police.
A Missouri legislative panel is to begin hearings Wednesday on why the Guard was not used more extensively in Ferguson.
Copyright 2015 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. (PHOTO: AP Photo, Jeff Roberson, File)
