Obama ‘deeply worried and disappointed’ by violence in Ferguson

With his appeals for calm having gone unheeded, President Obama was “deeply worried and disappointed” by violence, looting and unrest in Ferguson, Mo., on Monday night, White House officials said Tuesday.

Hours after a grand jury decided that Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson will face no charges in connection with the August shooting death of black teenager Michael Brown, the president addressed the nation from the White House and pleaded for restraint in Missouri and across the country.

But even as he spoke, violence already had broken out.

“We are all deeply worried and disappointed, and concerned about the violence, any sort of violence,” White House principal deputy press secretary Eric Schultz told reporters Tuesday aboard Air Force One. “That’s why the president went out and spoke about it last night. Again, I would remind you, the vast majority of protests in Missouri and around the country were peaceful and constructive.”

Before leaving Washington, the president was briefed by Attorney General Eric Holder on protests in Ferguson and across the nation, Mr. Schultz said. Mr. Obama is traveling to Chicago Tuesday to deliver a speech on immigration reform.

Mr. Holder and other administration officials held conference calls with civil rights leaders Monday night and also spoke with Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, the White House said.

Mr. Obama has expressed openness to visiting Ferguson, though Mr. Schultz said such a trip would come only after “things calm down a little bit.”