Former Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson Speaks Out for First Time Since Michael Brown Shooting
Darren Wilson, former police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, has spoken out regarding the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, saying that doesn't think of who Brown was as a person because it "doesn't matter at this point."
Wilson made national headlines in August 2014 when he was involved in a shooting incident with 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson that left Brown dead. Wilson was not indicted on murder charges for Brown's death.
Nearly a year after the incident and subsequent Ferguson protests, Wilson tells the New Yorker that he, his wife and their young daughter are careful when they go out in public.
"We try to go somewhere — how do I say this correctly? — with like-minded individuals," Wilson the magazine. "You know. Where it's not a mixing pot."
The 29-year-old former police officer added that he hasn't thought much about who Brown was as a person. "Do I think about who he was as a person? Not really, because it doesn't matter at this point. Do I think he had the best upbringing? No. Not at all."
When asked if he thought Brown was a "bad guy," Wilson responded: "I only knew him for those forty-five seconds in which he was trying to kill me," Wilson said. "So I don't know."
Wilson's recent interview comes shortly after the Department of Justice determined that the criminal investigation into Wilson's actions in August 2014 would be closed forever.
"There is no evidence upon which prosecutors can rely to disprove Wilson's stated subjective belief that he feared for his safety," the Justice Department report said.