ferguson

Darren Wilson Claims He Was ‘in Fear for His Life’ When He Shot Mike Brown

Photo: Robert Cohen-Pool/Getty Images

It’s been more than two months since Mike Brown died in Ferguson, and the world has yet to hear from Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot the unarmed teen. But on Friday night, the New York Times published a report containing new details of Wilson’s account of the shooting. Unsurprisingly, he reportedly said he was “in fear for his life” when he began firing at Brown.

The Times’ report is based on conversations with “government officials briefed on the federal civil rights investigation into the matter.” According to the paper, Wilson told investigators that he was trying to leave his car after he stopped Brown and his friend Dorian Johnson, when Brown “pushed him back in. Once inside the SUV, the two began to fight, Officer Wilson told investigators, and he removed his gun from the holster on his right hip.” Wilson said that Brown “had punched and scratched him repeatedly, leaving swelling on his face and cuts on his neck.” This contradicts Johnson’s account of the incident. According to him, Brown never tried to grab Wilson’s gun. Johnson also said that Wilson tried to choke Brown through window of the SUV before shooting him.

The Times reports that FBI forensics tests show that the gun was fired twice inside the car: One shot hit Brown on the arm while the other missed. Brown’s blood was found on the interior of the car, the gun, and Wilson’s clothes.

The report still does not explain what Wilson claims to have been thinking as he shot four more bullets at Brown outside the vehicle. As you likely know, several witnesses say that, regardless of what happened in the car, the teen had retreated and had his hands up when the fatal shots were fired.

Wilson Says He Was ‘in Fear for His Life’