Police Officer Who Killed American Teen Resigns

Darren Wilson, the police officer whose shooting of Michael Brown, an American teenager, in Ferguson, Missouri, has led to widespread protests and riots over the past four months, has resigned from his position. The Associated Press reported on Sunday, December 9, citing the officer's attorney, that Mr. Wilson had been on administrative leave since the killing of Michael Brown until his resignation. Al Sharpton, a prominent civil rights activist in the U.S. who has supported Michael Brown's family in recent months, reacted to Darren Wilson's resignation by stating, 'We were not looking for his job; we are seeking justice for Michael Brown.' This officer, who had worked for the Ferguson Police Department for less than three years, told a local newspaper that his decision to resign came after the department informed him that it had received letters and that its personnel had been threatened with violence if Mr. Wilson continued to work. Darren Wilson stated, 'I do not want anyone else to be harmed because of me.' His resignation was announced one day after further unrest and violence erupted in Ferguson and several other cities in the U.S. Hundreds of protesters across the U.S. are protesting the court's decision not to indict Darren Wilson. Michael Brown, an 18-year-old black teenager, was shot and killed by Darren Wilson on August 18 of this year, being hit by 12 bullets. Some eyewitnesses have claimed that the teenager raised his hands in surrender when he was shot and was unarmed, but Mr. Wilson testified in court that Michael Brown had attempted to seize his weapon by assaulting him. Most residents of Ferguson, Missouri, are black, while most officials in the city are white. The United Nations Committee Against Torture in Geneva, Switzerland, has conducted extensive investigations into the use of violence, force, and weapons by U.S. police following Michael Brown's death. According to the committee's report, U.S. police have been accused of 'misconduct and excessive use of force and weapons, especially against members of racial and ethnic minorities.'