- Michael Brown, a black teen, was shot August 9 by a white police officer
- His death sparked protests in the St. Louis suburb and beyond
- A grand jury is weighing whether to indict the officer
- Federal officials are conducting two civil rights investigations
(CNN) -- Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson perhaps put it best.
He said Ferguson, Missouri, was unknown to most of the world before August 9.
That's the day Darren Wilson, a white police officer, shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed black teen.
The shooting prompted protests in the suburb of St. Louis, making it a flash point in the debate over race and policing in America.
Protesters march in Ferguson, Missouri, on Thursday, August 21. The St. Louis suburb has been in turmoil since a white police officer, Darren Wilson, fatally shot an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, on August 9. Some protesters and law enforcement officers have clashed in the streets, leading to injuries and arrests. 
A crowd gathers in Ferguson on August 21. With the situation appearing to calm, Gov. Jay Nixon ordered the Missouri National Guard to begin withdrawing from the city. 
Police escort a Wilson supporter to a police vehicle, away from crowds protesting Brown's death on Wednesday, August 20. Police have said Brown and Wilson struggled over the officer's gun; some witnesses said Brown had his hands in the air when he was shot. 
Lightning streaks over protesters on August 20. 
Demonstrators protest on August 20. 
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder meets with Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol at a Ferguson restaurant on August 20. Holder came to Missouri to talk to community leaders and review the federal civil rights investigation into Brown's shooting. 
Protesters march through the streets of Ferguson on August 20. 
Police point out a demonstrator who has his arms raised before moving in to arrest him Tuesday, August 19. 
People watch from inside a restaurant as protesters rally August 19. 
Police arrest a demonstrator on August 19. 
Police charge into the media work area with weapons drawn as they try to control demonstrators on August 19. 
A protester speaks to a police officer on August 19. 
People on August 19 stand near a memorial where Brown was shot and killed. 
Protesters march on August 19. 
Police watch as protesters march August 19. 
A demonstrator is arrested on August 19. 
Police try to control protesters on Monday, August 18. 
Police lead a man away during a protest August 18. 
A demonstrator shouts during a protest on West Florissant Avenue, one of Ferguson's main streets, on August 18. 
Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol pulls his men back from aggressive protesters on August 18. 
Police arrest a demonstrator August 18 after peaceful protests gave way to angry confrontations with authorities. 
Law enforcement officers stand guard during a protest on West Florissant Avenue on August 18. 
A woman helps a man affected by tear gas August 18. The situation overnight deteriorated after a handful of protesters threw rocks, bottles and Molotov cocktails at police. Officers responded by firing stun grenades and tear gas canisters. 
Officers stand with weapons drawn during a protest on West Florissant Avenue on August 18. 
Musician Nelly, center, joins demonstrators in Ferguson on August 18. 
Demonstrators receive red roses as they protest August 18. 
Demonstrators march on August 18. 
The Rev. Jesse Jackson shakes hands with a police officer as he visits Ferguson's demonstration area on August 18. 
A protester picks up a tear gas canister on Sunday, August 17. 
Police wait to advance after using tear gas to disperse protesters August 17. 
Water gets poured into a woman's eyes after a tear gas attack by police on August 17. 
A man runs through clouds of tear gas on August 17. 
Protesters react as police fire tear gas at them August 17. 
Police advance through a cloud of tear gas on August 17. Most of the crowd had dispersed after a curfew went into effect at midnight, St. Louis County authorities said. 
People take cover from tear gas inside a McDonald's on August 17. 
A large group of police officers advance toward protesters on August 17. 
A man fights the effects of tear gas in Ferguson on August 17. 
Michael Brown Sr. and Lesley McSpadden, the parents of Michael Brown, attend a rally at Greater Grace Church in Ferguson on August 17. 
The Rev. Al Sharpton hugs McSpadden during the rally. 
Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol speaks at the rally. He had been appointed by the governor to take control of security operations. 
Demonstrators defy a curfew early on August 17. 
Police fire tear gas at demonstrators after curfew on August 17. 
A law enforcement officer aims his rifle August 17 after tear gas was fired to disperse a crowd. 
People scramble as police fire tear gas on August 17. 
Law enforcement officers check a building on August 17. 
People attend a protest after the midnight curfew on August 17. 
A law enforcement officer watches as tear gas is fired to disperse a crowd on August 17. 
Police stand guard before the midnight curfew on Saturday, August 16. 
People loot the Ferguson Market and Liquor store on August 16. Several businesses were looted as police held their positions nearby. 
Missouri State Highway Patrol officers listen to taunts from demonstrators during a protest on Friday, August 15. 
Demonstrators protest with their hands up on August 15. The "hands up" gesture has become a symbol in protests as Brown, according to eyewitnesses, was trying to surrender when he was shot multiple times. 
Police confront demonstrators on August 15. 
A demonstrator throws a tear gas canister back at police on August 15. 
Police confront demonstrators on August 15. 
Thousands of demonstrators march down a Ferguson street with members of the St. Louis County Police and the Missouri State Highway Patrol on Thursday, August 14. 
Demonstrators hold signs as traffic moves slowly past them on August 14. 
State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson smiles at demonstrators on August 14. Johnson was appointed to lead security as state troopers took over after days of clashes between protesters and local police. 
The Rev. Traci Blackmon uses a megaphone to talk to a large group of demonstrators on August 14. 
A man picks up a flaming bottle and prepares to throw it as a line of police advance in the distance on Wednesday, August 13. 
Police stand in clouds of smoke as they clash with protesters on August 13. 
An Al-Jazeera television crew runs for cover as police fire tear gas at its position on August 13. Video and images on social media showed police later breaking down the journalists' gear. 
A protester runs from tear gas exploding around him on August 13. 
Police stand guard among demonstrators on August 13. 
Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson fields questions during a news conference on August 13. 
A small group of protesters block traffic in the street before police arrived on August 13. 
A protester throws a tear gas canister back toward police on August 13. 
Police detain a man on Tuesday, August 12. 
People congregate at the Greater St. Marks Family Church in St. Louis along with the family of Michael Brown and the Rev. Al Sharpton on August 12. 
Michael Brown Sr. stands alongside Sharpton, right, during a news conference in St. Louis on August 12. 
Demonstrators protest August 12 in Ferguson. 
A makeshift memorial sits in the middle of the street where Michael Brown was shot and killed. 
A woman tries to calm an emotional protester during a demonstration outside the headquarters of the Ferguson Police Department on August 11. 
Phaedra Parks, left, comforts Desuirea Harris, the grandmother of Michael Brown, during a news conference in Jennings, Missouri, on August 11. 
Police officers arrest a man who refused to leave when police cleared streets in Ferguson on August 11. 
A burned-out QuikTrip gas station smolders on August 11 after protesters looted and burned the Ferguson building the night before. 
Police officers and protesters confront each other on Saturday, August 9, the same day Michael Brown was shot and killed. 
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Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Suddenly, Ferguson had a place on the map.
"It has become a conversation throughout the world," said Johnson.
Complete coverage of the events in Ferguson
Here's a look at key moments from that conversation:
AUGUST 9: THE SHOOTING
There are conflicting accounts as to exactly what happened the day of the shooting.
Certain facts of the case, however, are clear: Wilson shot and killed Brown on August 9. The teen was unarmed.
ONGOING: THE PROTESTS AND RESPONSE
Brown's death sent immediate shock waves through the community of Ferguson.
Protests began the same day, and grew as time passed and news of the shooting spread.
The vast majority of demonstrations were peaceful.
However, there were pockets of looting and violence, which prompted a forceful -- protesters say excessive -- response from law enforcement.
Authorities, who drove armored vehicles and wore military gear, were roundly criticized by members of the media, other law enforcement officials and demonstrators for escalating the violence, rather than tempering it.
AUGUST 14: THE SHIFT IN SECURITY
In a bid to turn the tide, Gov. Jay Nixon put the Missouri Highway Patrol, and specifically Johnson, in charge of security.
Nixon said he decided to tap state troopers because "at this particular point, the attitudes weren't improving, and the blocks towards expression appeared to be a flash point."
Ferguson has looked "more like a war zone, and it's not acceptable," the governor said.
Johnson promised to take a different, more inclusive approach. He walked with protesters and was initially welcomed with open arms.
Some of that good will soured after security forces under his command lobbed tear gas and stun grenades at rowdy protesters, who tossed rocks and Molotov cocktails at them.
AUGUST 15: THE RELEASE OF SURVEILLANCE VIDEO AND THE OFFICER'S NAME
At the start, one of the protesters' main demands was that the name of the officer involved in the shooting be made public.
Police eventually identified Wilson as the officer responsible. They did so the same day they released surveillance video of Brown at Ferguson Market and Liquor store.
Minutes before the teen was shot, police said, a man fitting Brown's description allegedly stole cigars and roughed up a store clerk as cameras recorded.
Release of the video angered some, who said police were using it to distract from Brown's killing and paint him in a negative light.
Authorities have said Wilson stopped Brown not because of the theft, but because Brown and a friend were "walking down the middle of the street blocking traffic."
AUGUST 15: THE OFFICER'S REPORTED ACCOUNT
The officer who killed Brown said the teenager rushed at him full speed in the moments before the shooting, according to an account phoned in to a St. Louis radio station and confirmed by a source with detailed knowledge of the investigation.
According to the version on KFTK, phoned in by a woman who identified herself as "Josie," the altercation began after Wilson rolled down his window to tell Brown and a friend to stop walking in the street.
When Wilson tried to get out of his cruiser, Brown first tried to push the officer back into the car, then punched him in the face and grabbed for his gun before breaking free after the gun went off once, the caller said.
Wilson pursued Brown and his friend, ordering them to freeze, according to the account. When they turned around, Brown began taunting Wilson, saying he would not arrest them, then ran at the officer at full speed, the caller said.
Wilson then began shooting. The final shot was to Brown's forehead, and the teenager fell two or three feet in front of Wilson, said the caller, who identified herself as the officer's friend.
AUGUST 20: THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S VISIT TO FERGUSON
Federal officials are conducting two civil rights investigations, one into Brown's killing and the other into the local police department's overall track record with minorities.
The most high-profile figure in President Barack Obama's administration to visit Ferguson, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, stressed that the federal government is on the case and listening -- both to protesters calling for Wilson's arrest and for an end to what they describe as a heavy-handed police response, and to residents and law enforcement officers challenged with looting and violence from some in the crowd.
"The people of Ferguson can have confidence in the federal agents, investigators and prosecutors who are leading the process," Holder said. "Our investigation will be fair, it will be thorough and it will be independent."
"On a personal note," the African-American father of a teenage son told reporters, "I've seen a lot in my time as attorney general, but few things have affected me as greatly as my visit to Ferguson."
SEPTEMBER 25: THE FERGUSON POLICE CHIEF'S APOLOGY
Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson issued a video apology to Brown's parents, as well as to any peaceful protesters who felt he didn't do "enough to protect their constitutional right to protest."
Specifically, he apologized that it took investigating officers four hours to remove Brown's body from the street after Wilson shot him.
"I'm truly sorry for the loss of your son. I'm also sorry that it took so long to remove Michael from the street," he said.
Later, Jackson said he had no intention of stepping down, despite many calls to do so, telling CNN, "this is mine, and I'm taking ownership of it."
OCTOBER 21: THE AUTOPSY
Brown's gunshot wounds included a shot in the hand at close range, his official autopsy shows, according to an analysis reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper.
A county official with knowledge of the investigation told CNN the autopsy document that the Post-Dispatch used to do its report is authentic.
The detail could lend credence to Wilson's account that he and the unarmed African-American teenager scuffled at his patrol car before Brown was shot and killed.
A private autopsy conducted for the Brown family showed the teen had been shot at least six times, including twice in the head.
The official autopsy, as published by the Post-Dispatch, said Brown suffered six gunshot entrance wounds.
INTERMITTENT: THE LEAKS IN THE CASE
Many details about the investigation have been leaked to the media and some, including Attorney General Holder, have accused the leakers of being selective.
In addition to the autopsy information, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published accounts of testimony presented to a St. Louis County grand jury.
The Washington Post, meanwhile, reported that at least six black witnesses gave testimony that supported Wilson's side of the story. The New York Times said it received information from a federal source.
Holder has called the leaks "inappropriate and troubling" because both the federal investigation and the grand jury proceedings are ongoing, according to a Justice official.
ONGOING: THE GRAND JURY
Although the grand jury has until January to issue its ruling, the prosecutor's office has said a decision could come as early as mid-November.
Whether or not it decides to indict Wilson, authorities have said they are planning for protests and possible violence.
Police from various departments will operate as a unified command. The National Guard will be available as necessary.
Law enforcement is prepared to extend shifts and limit leave, and additional resources have been distributed, Gov. Nixon has said.
"These measures are not being taken because we are convinced that violence will occur, but because we have a responsibility to prepare for any contingency," said the governor.
He added: "This is America. People have a right to express their views and grievances, but they do not have the right to put their fellow citizens or their property at risk."
CNN's Michael Pearson, Steve Almasy, Eliott C. McLaughlin, Holly Yan and Evan Perez contributed to this report.
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