- Darren Wilson, the Ferguson, Missouri, police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown on August 9, has resigned, effective immediately, from the Ferguson Police Department, the Associated Press reported.
- A grand jury on November 24 decided not to indict Wilson for killing Brown, a black 18-year-old who was unarmed at the time of the shooting.
- Wilson’s plans to resign were reported even before the grand jury decision.
- Protesters have taken to the streets of Ferguson and around the country to protest police shootings that disproportionately kill black boys and men. One of their major demands has been an indictment for Wilson.
- Wilson could still face civil rights charges, through a federal government investigation, or a civil lawsuit from the Brown family, which could seek monetary compensation for Brown’s death.
Darren Wilson, officer who shot Michael Brown, resigns from Ferguson Police Department
Wilson previously said he has a clean conscience about the shooting
In an interview with ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos, Wilson said he has a clean conscience about the shooting. While Wilson said he felt sorry for Brown’s family, he said he was just doing his job and wouldn’t do anything differently.
In his testimony to the grand jury and law enforcement, Wilson said Brown was violent throughout the encounter. He said the 18-year-old tried to take his gun and charged at him through a hail of gunfire. Wilson characterized Brown as a demon-like, dead-eyed giant — a comparison some have linked to racial stereotypes historically deployed by police to justify use of force against African Americans.
Wilson submitted a resignation letter
Via St. Louis news station KSDK:
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