Missouri Governor Jay Nixon ordered state troopers to take over security in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson and U.S. President Barack Obama made a plea for calm as protests raged after police fatally shot an unarmed black teenager.
Nixon said the multi-force policing would be led by Captain Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, who is black. Police and protesters are engaged in a standoff entering its sixth day in the wake of the Aug. 9 shooting of Michael Brown. Police say the 18-year-old had fought the officer over his weapon, while Ferguson residents say Brown was shot while putting his hands up in surrender.
