As police officer Darren Wilson resigns from the Ferguson police department, it is now being said the reason he stepped down was because of “credible threats” to his fellow police officers.
In a related report by the Inquisitr , Wilson released a resignation letter that explained the full circumstances and motivations for his stepping down.
“I, Darren Wilson, hereby resign my commission as a police officer with the City of Ferguson effective immediately. I have been told that my continued employment may put the residents and police officers of the City of Ferguson at risk, which is a circumstance that I cannot allow. For obvious reasons, I wanted to wait until the grand jury made their decision before I officially made my decision to resign. 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. It is my hope that my resignation will allow the community to heal. I would like to thank all of my supporters and fellow officers throughout this process.”
According to Neil Bruntrager, Darren Wilson’s attorney, the police offer stepped down only “two minutes after” Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson told him of the threats. “The chief thought that if he resigned it would alleviate those threats, [and] that was all [Wilson] needed to hear,” said Bruntrager.
Bruntrager also insists that the police department did not apply any pressure to have Wilson resign, saying, “He was just making him aware of the information.” According to the attorney, Wilson does not expect to resume work as a police officer anywhere else in the “immediate future.” Ever since the verdict of the grand jury came down, Wilson has experienced “elation” and “relief,” but he was profoundly saddened by the response of the community and the Ferguson riots.
As Wilson resigns, Ferguson Mayor James Knowles announced the former police officer will not receive any benefits.
“We have now severed ties with Officer Darren Wilson. I think we’ve recognized that there are a lot of issues,” Knowles said. “I think that people will continue to express frustration.”
Due to this outcome, Darren Wilson is said to not have a plan for his future although he will have to make one soon since “he has no income” according to the lawyer, although a support group has raised over $500,000 in donations in order to support Wilson. According to NBC , Bruntrager also says Wilson does not have any plans of attempting to relocate outside of the United States.
