Additional reporting provided by the Associated Press

Peaceful protests in Durham mirrored actions taken across the country Thursday evening.

Multiple media outlets are reporting a peaceful gathering of people surrounded the Old Durham Courthouse as part of the National Moment of Silence for Victims of Police Brutality.

On Saturday, Ferguson, Missouri police shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown. The death of the unarmed, black teenager has excited racial tensions in the small town. The police force there is nearly all white, while the town itself is nearly 70-percent black.

Thursday, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon brought in the state Highway Patrol, stripping authority away from local police, who had responded to looting, rock throwing and the tossing of Molotov cocktails with the use of tear gas and police dogs. It was reported Thursday that the name of the officer who shot Brown is scheduled to be released Friday.