Police have dispersed protesters from the streets of Ferguson after a second night of demonstrations following a grand jury decision to not indict Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown.
Last night was far calmer than the previous night, although officers did have to extinguish a police car that was set on fire and vandals damaged some shop fronts.
Several arrests were made but the protests did not approach the chaos of the previous night, which saw arson, looting and rioting in the streets.
Members of the National Guard - which tripled its numbers in the St Louis suburb yesterday - were far more visible and remained posted throughout the city after the protests ended.
The demonstrators had returned to the riot-scarred streets of the Missouri town a day after crowds looted businesses and set fire to buildings in a night of rage against a grand jury's decision not to indict the white police officer who killed an unarmed black 18-year-old.
But officers took to loudspeakers to tell protesters to leave the streets or face arrest.
Lawyers for Mr Brown's family had criticised the grand jury's decision as rigged but appealed for peace.
Mr Wilson, in his first public comments, defended his actions, insisting on national television that he could not have done anything different in the confrontation with Mr Brown.
The grand jury decision means Mr Wilson faces no state criminal charges over the August 9 shooting, which reignited debates over relations between police and minority communities, even in cities far from Ferguson.
In the aftermath of Monday's violence, Missouri governor Jay Nixon more than tripled the number of National Guard soldiers sent to Ferguson, ordering the initial force of 700 to be increased to 2,200 to help local law enforcement keep order.
"Lives and property must be protected," he said. "This community deserves to have peace."
Mr Wilson, in an interview with ABC News, said he had a clean conscience because "I know I did my job right".
He has been on leave since the shooting and had remained out of the public eye.
The officer said in his evidence that he feared for his life during the confrontation with Mr Brown, which he blamed on the teenager, saying he reached through his driver's side window, hit him in the face, called him a "pussy" and tried grabbing his gun.
Mr Wilson then got off a shot that went through Mr Brown's hand, the only bullet that hit the teenager at close range. He told ABC he felt it was his duty to chase Mr Brown after the confrontation.
When asked about witness accounts that Mr Brown at one point turned toward Mr Wilson and put his hands up, he responded "that would be incorrect".
Mr Brown fell to the ground about 153ft from Mr Wilson's vehicle, fatally wounded by the last of the seven bullets that struck his body.
Public attention to the killing has frequently focused on the fact that Mr Brown was unarmed, but that makes little difference under Missouri law, which says police can act with deadly force when they believe it is necessary to arrest a person who may "endanger life or inflict serious physical injury".
The protests that followed the grand jury decision quickly became chaotic, with protesters looting and setting fire to businesses and vehicles, including at least two police cars. Officers eventually lobbed tear gas from inside armoured vehicles to disperse crowds.
President Barack Obama criticised the destructive acts, saying they were criminal and those responsible should be prosecuted.
But America's first black president said he understood that many people were upset by the grand jury decision.
"The frustrations that we've seen are not about a particular incident. They have deep roots in many communities of colour who have a sense that our laws are not always being enforced uniformly or fairly," Mr Obama said.
White House officials are still considering whether Mr Obama should travel to Ferguson, weighing the importance of the moment with the risk of inflaming tensions.