Darren Wilson, the white police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teen during a confrontation in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, setting off nationwide protests, decided to resign from the town’s police force after he learned of threats against the department and its officers, his attorney said Sunday.
“When Darren was told that, he said, ’That’s enough,’” the attorney, Neil Bruntrager, told “Fox News Sunday.”
A grand jury’s decision last week not to indict the 28-year-old officer for the death of Michael Brown resulted in violent flare-ups in Ferguson and more peaceful protests across the country.
Daryl Parks, attorney for Brown’s family, told Fox that Mr. Wilson could have subdued the teen, asserting Brown would have survived multiple gun shot wounds except the one to his head.
Mr. Wilson has said he feared for his life in the scuffle with Brown, and his attorney said the officer had to get out of his patrol car and follow the teen.
“His job getting out of the car was to keep eyes on him. … What if he heads off the road?” Mr. Bruntrager said.
He said Mr. Wilson, now looking for police work elsewhere, fears for his safety.
“And it’s a shame, and that’s something he’s going to have to live with for quite some time,” Mr. Bruntrager said.
But an elected St. Louis official said Sunday that Mr. Wilson sounded “remorseless” and “cold” in his post-incident remarks.
“Frankly a lot of his answers sounded like they were prepared by lawyers,” St. Louis Alderman Antonio French told ABC’s “This Week.”
Mr. Wilson told ABC he feared for his life during the Aug. 9 confrontation, after he came up on Brown as a suspect in a robbery that occurred moments earlier. He said his training took over and he used his firearm to protect himself.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.