After reviewing the unusual nature of the Michael Brown shooting case, two Washington University law professors concluded that the chances of Darren Wilson being brought up on federal charges for his role in the shooting were “slim to none.”

Their opinion was delivered Wednesday night to an audience of nearly 60 attendees, who were packed into a law school classroom for a “teach-in” discussing the grand jury’s potential decisions in the case.

Washington University law professors Kathy Goldwasser and Peter Joy discuss the case of Darren Wilson, the police officer who killed Ferguson teenager Michael Brown. The event was sponsored by the Wash. U. School of Law, the Pre-Law Society, the Gephardt Institute for Public Service and the Diversity Affairs Council.

Two months ago, police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown—a black, unarmed teenager—in Ferguson, Mo., a city located 20 minutes north of campus. Brown’s death sparked a series of police confrontations where protesters were arrested and bombarded with tear gas. Grand jury proceedings, which began in mid-August, will determine whether Wilson will be indicted, or made to face charges for shooting Brown.

Law professors Kathy Goldwasser and Peter Joy spent the hour discussing factors, such as race, that the grand jury might consider in deciding whether to charge Wilson and when a decision can be expected.

Goldwasser, a former prosecutor, noted that the proceedings have been extremely unusual in their length and their details, including the facts that Wilson testified before the jury, that people had called for the prosecutor to recuse himself and that no specific charges had been proposed.

“Normally, a prosecutor will go in and propose charges…It’s asking a lot of the jury to leaf through criminal charges and choose the right ones,” Goldwasser said.

Additionally, she said, the jury is getting much more information than is typical in such cases.

Nancy Staudt, dean of the law school, noted that the teach-in was important to the community because it provided a timely explanation of the legal issues surrounding Brown’s death.

“We know there are lots of stories being written about this and many deliberations being made, protests around campus inside the classroom and out, but this forum is to provide clarity in the context of the grand jury,” Staudt said.

Attendees ranged from administrators and staff to undergraduate and graduate students to St. Louis community members. Many felt the event was a good opportunity to learn about a side of the story not often discussed in the media.

Students, staff and local residents listen as two Washington University law professors discuss the legal implications of Michael Brown’s death and subsequent events in Ferguson, Mo. The talk focused on the investigation and grand jury proceedings in the case of St. Louis police officer Darren Wilson.

Delilah Papke, a first-year student in the Brown School of Social Work, said she found the teach-in to be a good way to gain a new perspective on the protests.

“I feel like it’s a way for people who aren’t necessarily able to be involved with the marches and might not know about the demonstrations or the marches to kind of see and be involved in another perspective. I’m still trying to balance my understanding of what’s happening, and so I think this is a really interesting way to see how the system works in this situation and to see the law side, not just the protest side,” Papke said.

Others, like St. Louis community member Jillian Smith, came to learn more about the legal proceedings. Smith, who was involved with the protests, said she was also looking for a fresh take on the issues in Ferguson.

“I really wanted to come to this to get a new vision of what’s going on with the grand jury and not just to make assumptions because I’m not learned in any of the ways of the law…I wanted to take the chance to learn something I didn’t know so I could be more informed about the entire case,” Smith said.

First-year law student Will Schoenfeld attended because he felt the teach-in would supplement his learning.

“I know nothing about grand juries. The process at least is foreign to me, and we haven’t covered that in class yet. Especially given everything that’s been going on since we got here, I wanted to come,” Schoenfeld said.

Sophomore Lauren Chase found the teach-in informative and was happy to see the professors’ honesty in discussing the reality of what will likely occur during the proceedings.

“I think it’s pretty obvious that, unfortunately, Darren Wilson most likely won’t even be indicted. I was interested in hearing not about what the verdict will be but about how and why prosecutor [Robert] McCulloch’s bias has led to these particular circumstances with the grand jury,” Chase said.

Chase added that she felt the teach-in highlighted issues in the legal system and that she hoped the law school would continue to host similar events.

After a lengthy question-and-answer session, Staudt said that the law school would be happy to host a second teach-in.