Darren Wilson resigned over threats, lawyer says
FERGUSON, Mo. - Former Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson's lawyer says Wilson resigned because he was concerned about the potential for violence against other officers if he didn't.
His lawyer, Neil Bruntrager, told The Associated Press that Wilson decided to step aside after police Chief Tom Jackson told him about the alleged threats on Saturday.
"The information we had was that there would be actions targeting the Ferguson (police) department or buildings in Ferguson related to the police department," Bruntrager said. He said Wilson, who had worked for the department for less than three years, and the city were already discussing an exit strategy, acknowledging that staying on as an officer there would be impossible.
Many have criticized the authorities' handling of the case, but the town's leaders have said no leadership changes were in the works. Asked if he would resign, Jackson said flatly, "No."
Wilson did not receive a severance package when he resigned over the weekend, the St. Louis suburb's mayor said Sunday.
Wilson, 28, won't receive any further pay or benefits, and he and the city have severed their ties, Mayor James Knowles told reporters a day after Wilson tendered his resignation, which was effective immediately.
His resignation comes after several weeks of back and forth between his attorneys and attorneys for the city of Ferguson, CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann reported.
A grand jury decided Monday not to indict Wilson for killing Michael Brown in August. He told jurors that he feared for his life when Brown hit him and grabbed for his gun.
Bruntrager says Wilson was initially elated by the decision but became sad watching coverage of the violent protests that followed.
The U.S. Justice Department is investigating possible civil rights violations in Brown's killing and launched a broad investigation of Ferguson police.
The shooting struck up a national debate about race and police power.
After the shooting, Wilson spent months in hiding and made no public statements. He broke his silence after the grand jury decision, telling ABC News that he could not have done anything differently in the encounter with Brown.
Wilson said he has a clean conscience because "I know I did my job right." Brown's shooting was the first time he fired his gun on the job, he said.
Asked whether the encounter would have unfolded the same way if Brown had been white, Wilson said yes.
In his resignation letter, Wilson wrote that he felt continuing with the Ferguson police department would place residents and other officers at risk.
"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," he wrote. "It is my hope that my resignation will allow the community to heal."
Anthony Gray, an attorney representing the Brown family told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he believes Wilson was acting in his own best interest.
"I think this incident has severely compromised his ability to police in the way he was paid to do by the city," said Gray.
Wilson began his career in nearby Jennings before moving to the Ferguson job a few years ago. He had no previous complaints against him and a good career record, according to Police Chief Thomas Jackson, who called Wilson "an excellent police officer."
A few months before the shooting, Wilson had received a commendation for detaining a suspect in a drug case.