Tensions Subsiding as National Guard Ordered to Leave Ferguson

Only seven were arrested overnight in the St. Louis suburb.

ByABC News
August 22, 2014, 4:17 AM

— -- The streets of Ferguson were mostly peaceful for another night, as protests and tensions were subsiding in the St. Louis suburb where unrest had erupted after a white police officer fatally shot an unarmed black man.

Protesters gathered Thursday night with signs, walking in laps near the spot where Michael Brown, 18, was shot Aug. 9.

Authorities arrested seven people overnight, including five for failing to disperse, Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson said at an early-morning news conference.

Dramatic Video Shows Fatal St. Louis Police Shooting

Ferguson Cop Had 'Serious Facial Injury,' Source Tells ABC News

The peaceful night comes as Gov. Jay Nixon ordered the Missouri National Guard, which arrived Monday, to leave the town.

PHOTO: Protesters march, Aug. 21, 2014, in Ferguson, Mo.
Protesters march, Aug. 21, 2014, in Ferguson, Mo.

With Brown’s funeral scheduled for Monday, Johnson would not speculate on a possible uptick of violence.

A grand jury began considering evidence this week to determine whether the officer who shot Brown, Darren Wilson, should be charged, a process that could take months.

Federal authorities have also launched an independent investigation into Brown's death.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.