Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon signed an executive order early Monday morning authorizing the deployment of National Guard units to the town of Ferguson amid continued public protest and outrage spurred by the killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old black man, by a Darren Wilson, a white police officer, on August 9.

In a statement, Nixon said the soldiers were now necessary to ‘restore peace and order’ and protect residents from ‘the violent criminal acts of an organized and growing number of individuals’ who have emerged growing community protests that have forcefully challenged a pattern of police violence in the St. Louis suburb while gaining national attention. 

Following more than a week of growing protest, a nightly curfew was imposed Saturday by the governor’s office which served to fuel dissent and anger as residents and others said their right to peaceable assemble and voice their grievances were being attacked.

On Sunday, the results from a private autopsy performed on Mr. Brown confirmed that the young man had been shot six times, twice in the head. The Department of Justice is among those now investigating the events that led up to the shooting.

Monday morning’s announcement by the governor came directly after the most violent confrontations to date between people in the street and police officers, hundreds of whom patrolled downtown Ferguson in riot gear on Sunday evening.

Despite the midnight to 5 am curfew, a large public protest was staged during the evening by Ferguson residents, joined by others who who travelled in order to voice their concern over the pattern of police violence against members of poor and minority communities nationwide. 

Click Here: Golf special

Associated Press video:

Video footage of the march showed people marching with their hands up, shouting what’s become the protesters mantra: ‘Hands Up, Don’t Shoot.’ Later, the marchers can be seen dispersing and turning back as tear gas cannisters were fired from a line of police officers.

According to some reports, the demonstration turned violent when provocateurs in the crowd threw Molotov cocktails and attempts were made to overrun local businesses as well as the police command center located at an area shopping center. Gunshots were also reported coming from the crowd.

However, aspects of those reports—many of them based on comments from police officials—were disputed by other witnesses. As the Guardian reports:

According to the Huffington Post reporters on the scene, families who came out to march in solidarity with the people of Ferguson were caught off guard as violence took over the protest: