Officials in Ferguson, Missouri, yesterday planned to address the resignation of police officer Darren Wilson, who fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown.
A grand jury decision on Monday last week not to charge Wilson in connection with the Aug. 9 shooting touched off days racially charged violence across the US.
Wilson, who had been on administrative leave since the shooting, resigned on Saturday, effective immediately, according to his lawyer, Neil Bruntrager, who declined further comment.
Photo: Reuters
An attorney for Brown’s family did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
Wilson, who had been with the Ferguson Police Department for less than three years, told the St Louis Post-Dispatch he decided to step down after the department told him it had received threats of violence if he remained on the force.
“I’m not willing to let someone else get hurt because of me,” Wilson told the newspaper.
Wilson wrote in the letter that “it is my hope that my resignation will allow the community to heal.”
“It was my hope to continue in police work, but the safety of other police officers and the community are of paramount importance to me,” the letter from the 28-year-old Wilson said.
Ferguson officials planned to make a statement on Wilson’s resignation yesterday, city attorney for Ferguson Stephanie Karr said.
Karr earlier this week said Wilson had been on paid leave pending the outcome of an internal police investigation.
Following news of the resignation, more than 100 protesters gathered near police headquarters, where they were outnumbers by officers. At least one person was arrested after a brief standoff with officers.
Additional reporting by AFP
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