Officer Darren Wilson of the Ferguson, Mo., Police Department says he was in fear for his life in August when he shot and killed unarmed teen Michael Brown, the New York Times reports. The shooting sparked continuing protests over police violence against minorities, especially unarmed black men.
Wilson’s testimony to federal investigators, shared by officials familiar with his statements, is the first public account of events that led to the fatal shooting. He told investigators that he was pinned in his vehicle and was in fear for his life as he struggled with Brown over his gun during a scuffle, the Times says.
The gun was fired twice in the car, according to forensics tests performed by the FBI, the report says, with the first bullet striking Brown in the arm; the second bullet missed.
Forensics tests showed Brown’s blood on the gun, as well as on the interior door panel and on Wilson’s uniform. Wilson reportedly told investigators that Brown had punched and scratched him repeatedly, leaving swelling on his face and cuts on his neck.
His version of events came from government officials briefed on the federal civil rights investigation into the Aug. 9 shooting, the report says. It does not explain, however, why Wilson fired at Brown multiple times after emerging from his vehicle, the report says. Nor does Wilson’s account match up with some witness accounts or explain why an unarmed man was shot a total of six times, the report says.
Read more at the New York Times.