11:45 a.m.

Several businesses and schools in or near downtown St. Louis closed early after a judge’s verdict acquitting a white police officer in the death of a black motorist was announced.

Wells Fargo Advisors, brokerage and investment firm Stifel and Nestle Purina PetCare all sent thousands of employees home Friday after a judge acquitted former officer Jason Stockley in the death of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith.

Activists were gathering downtown to protest the verdict and officials were concerned about the potential for unrest.

Several schools also closed early and postponed events scheduled for Friday.

And an Alzheimer’s Walk scheduled for Saturday in downtown St. Louis was postponed.

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11:30 a.m.

The attorney for the family of the black man shot and killed by a white St. Louis police officer says they disagree with a judge’s ruling that the state didn’t meet its burden of proof for a finding that the officer was guilty of murder.

KMOV reports that Al Watkins spoke to reporters less than an hour after the judge’s Friday morning ruling that 36-year-old Jason Stockley was not guilty in the 2011 death of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith.

Watkins says he found the ruling appalling and contrary to the evidence presented.

Watkins and Smith’s fiance, Christina Wilson, on Thursday appealed for calm and non-violent protest no matter what verdict was issued.

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11:10 a.m.

U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay of Missouri says he’s outraged by a judge’s verdict acquitting a white St. Louis police officer in the shooting death of a black man.

Clay is a Democrat who represents the St. Louis area. He said in a statement Friday that former officer Jason Stockley violated several police department regulations and showed a “total disregard” for Anthony Lamar Smith. He says justice has been “cruelly denied” for Smith, his family and the community.

Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill and Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri both issued statements Friday expressing hope that people will come together to avoid the divisions that occurred after a white police officer killed 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson in 2014.

And Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens acknowledged the verdict causes pain for many people but asked those who choose to protest the verdict to do so peacefully.

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10:45 a.m.

A St. Louis activist says he’s disappointed but not surprised by the acquittal of a white former police officer in the shooting death of a black man.

A judge on Friday found 36-year-old Jason Stockley not guilty in the 2011 death of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith. Several hundred protesters were marching in the streets of downtown St. Louis within hours of the verdict being released.

Among the protesters was the Rev. Clinton Stancil, who is black. He’s a pastor at Wayman AME Church in St. Louis. He says, “Cops again are able to shoot our people down with impunity.”

Stockley shot 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith five times after a high-speed chase. Prosecutors alleged Stockley planted a gun in Smith’s car after he shot him.

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10:30 a.m.

About 100 people have gathered in downtown St. Louis to protest the acquittal of a white former police officer in the shooting death of a black man.

A judge on Friday found 36-year-old Jason Stockley not guilty in the 2011 death of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith. Protesters began gathering near the courthouse where the case was heard and were marching in the streets. Police have blocked off some streets. At one point, protesters headed toward an interstate ramp, but police blocked them from getting on.

St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson says she hopes city residents will come together despite their differences over the acquittal.

Stockley shot 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith five times after a high-speed chase. Prosecutors alleged Stockley planted a gun in Smith’s car after he shot him.

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10:15 a.m.

St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson says she hopes city residents will come together despite their differences over the acquittal of a white former police officer in the shooting death of a black man.

Krewson says in a statement early Friday that she’s praying for the loved ones of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith, who was shot to death in 2011. She also offers prayers for police, the judge who issued the verdict and “citizens who find no comfort, or justice.”

The mayor encouraged St. Louis residents to show each other compassion and recognize that they all “rise and fall together.”

The statement comes as protesters increased near the courthouse in downtown St. Louis where the verdict was announced. Police were blocking streets near the courthouse so protesters could march.