Ferguson shooting: More than 2,200 National Guard troops sent in

The US state of Missouri has ordered more troops to the Ferguson area to quell unrest after a policeman was cleared over Michael Brown's killing.

State governor Jay Nixon said 2,200 National Guard would be deployed in and around the St Louis suburb on Tuesday.
Meanwhile officer Darren Wilson said he had a "clean conscience" over his actions, in his first public comments.
Violent protests erupted after Monday's ruling, with buildings and vehicles set alight and dozens of arrests.

Mr Brown, 18, was shot several times by Officer Wilson on 9 August in Ferguson, Missouri, sparking weeks of unrest. The grand jury's decision means the police officer will not face state criminal charges into the shooting.

Officer Darren Wilson spoke publicly for the first time since the killing of Michael Brown on 9 August

Lawyers for the black teenager have denounced the grand jury's decision as "unfair".

'No excuse'

The BBC's Michelle Fleury in Ferguson says the situation in the town is a far cry from some of the scenes seen last night when tear gas filled the streets.
She describes people standing peacefully outside the main police station, with families and young children.
The number of troops in Ferguson on Tuesday is up from 700 deployed the previous night, who failed to prevent what one police chief described as the worst violence the town had ever seen.

Speaking from Chicago on Tuesday, President Barack Obama said there was "no excuse" for destructive behaviour and criminal acts of rioting, adding that those responsible should be prosecuted.

The number of National Guardsmen has more than tripled since Monday night

Nationwide protests over the ruling have continued for a second day
The frustration seen by the grand jury's decision, he said, had "deep roots in many communities of colour who have a sense that our laws are not being enforced uniformly or fairly".
Much of the debate since August has centred on whether Michael Brown was attempting to surrender to Darren Wilson when he was shot, but state prosecutor Robert McCulloch said physical evidence had contradicted some of the witness statements.
Speaking to ABC News, Officer Wilson said there was nothing he could have done differently. He said he feared for his life.

"The reason I have a clean conscience is because I know I did my job right," he said.

US President Barack Obama: "The problem is not just a Ferguson problem, it's an American problem"

He described Mr Brown as a "powerful man," saying he felt "like a five-year-old holding on to Hulk Hogan".
The policeman, who has been on administrative leave since the incident, denied witness statements that Mr Brown put his hands up.
He insisted that race played no part in the confrontation and that he would have acted in exactly the same way if the suspect had been white.
Process under scrutiny
More than 80 people were arrested amid riots across several areas of St Louis on Monday night. Sixty-one of those arrests were in Ferguson, with charges including burglary and trespassing.
Ferguson mayor James Knowles criticised what he says was a delay in deploying the National Guard saying it did not come soon enough "to save all of our businesses".

                                     

Cars were set on fire during protests in Dellwood, an area of St Louis close to Ferguson, overnight

Many residents and business owners took to the streets early on Tuesday to begin the clean-up

Lives and property must be protected. This community deserves to have peace," Governor Nixon said on Tuesday, explaining his decision to bring in reinforcements.
Protests continued on Tuesday, with demonstrators briefly closing a major road in central St Louis and rallies staged outside the federal court house. Demonstrations were also staged across the country, including in Los Angeles, Cleveland and Minneapolis.
Michael Brown family lawyer Benjamin Crump earlier described the grand jury process as "broken", but also said they condemned the violence that followed the decision.
Civil rights leader Al Sharpton said the prosecutor's decision to announce the verdict late at night on Monday was "irresponsible".