Obama Encourages 'Peace' Before Grand Jury Announcement In Ferguson Shooting

Authorities close to the governor's office in Missouri have confirmed that a grand jury has reached a decision regarding officer Darren Wilson in the Ferguson shooting case, and a press conference will be held later today to announce the decision.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has called for a state of emergency in Missouri ahead of the grand jury announcement. Both the National Guard and the St. Louis Police Department have been deployed to help control protesters in the suburb of Ferguson, where unarmed teenager Michael Brown was shot by Wilson back in August.

Both Gov. Jay Nixon and the office of St. Louis Prosecutor Bob McCulloch are expected to announce the decision at press conferences later today.

Ahead of the grand jury announcement, President Barack Obama also spoke on Monday, encouraging protesters to express their response to the decision responsibly and peacefully.

"First and foremost, keep protests peaceful," Obama told ABC News in a pre-taped interview. "This is a country that allows everybody to express their views, allows them to peacefully assemble, to protest actions that they think are unjust, but using any event as an excuse for violence is contrary to rule of law and contrary to who we are."

The president also suggested that law enforcement officials must do their job in properly containing protesters, saying police should not misuse their weapons or force.

Obama said police should be able to "distinguish between a gang banger and a kid who just happens to be wearing a hoodie but otherwise is a good kid and not doing anything wrong."