Darren Wilson, policeman who shot dead Michael Brown in Ferguson, quits the force
As Darren Wilson resigns for 'safety' reasons, activists begin protest march
PUBLISHED : Sunday, 30 November, 2014, 3:05pm
UPDATED : Monday, 01 December, 2014, 2:39am
Reuters in Ferguson
Officer Darren Wilson is pictured in this undated handout evidence photo. Photo: Reuters
The white US police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager in a St Louis suburb has resigned, as activists set out on a 200km march to protest against the killing and a grand jury's decision not to indict him.
The resignation of Darren Wilson from the Ferguson police force comes nearly four months after he killed 18-year-old Michael Brown and days after the announcement that he would not face criminal charges.
The incident, which has led to months of sometimes violent protests in Ferguson, has reignited a debate over race relations and the use of police force.
Protesters attempt to communicate with police guarding a business in Ferguson, Missouri. Photo: Reuters
Neil Bruntrager, a lawyer for Wilson, confirmed that the officer had submitted his resignation, a move that was long anticipated.
"In terms of his safety, it is probably the best thing for him," said Cynthia Burnes, 26, a nurse's assistant from St Louis who was among about 50 people gathered in front of the Ferguson police headquarters on Saturday evening. "He is blacklisted from this moment on."
A man was arrested at the scene after he knelt in the middle of the street with his hands raised, chanting "Hands up, don't shoot", a common refrain at Ferguson protests.
In a letter published by the St Louis Post-Dispatch, Wilson said he had 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."
A protestor shouts at police as he blocks traffic before being arrested outside the Ferguson Police Station in Ferguson. Photo: Reuters
Wilson, who said he was acting in self-defence when he shot Brown, said he wanted to wait until after the grand jury's decision before he made his decision to resign, according to the letter.
After a night of arson and looting in Ferguson following the decision, demonstrations last week spread to other major US cities, with some of the protests targeting shopping malls on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, as the holiday shopping season got under way.
On Saturday, activists shifted gears by setting off on a seven-day march from Ferguson to Jefferson City, the state capital. More than 150 people set out on the "Journey for Justice" from the Canfield Green Apartments, near the spot where Brown was shot and killed.
The protest, reminiscent of the civil rights marches of the 1960s, was organised by the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, which is calling for a reform of police practices, a new police chief in Ferguson and a national law to prevent racial profiling by police.
