Officer Darren Wilson Says Michael Brown would Be Alive if He Followed Orders

Officer Darren Wilson, the 28-year-old policeman who shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown has publicly spoken in an interview for the first time. 

A grand jury decided not to indict Wilson which prompted rioting, burning buildings and looting businesses. The interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos took place less than 24 hours after the jury made its decision. 

In the interview, Wilson defended his actions, saying that he was doing his job. The officer explained that when he first saw Brown and a friend, he was driving a police SUV and they were walking in the middle of the road. Wilson pulled the vehicle over and asked the pair to use the sidewalk but Brown got defensive and began advancing on him and eventually throwing punches.

When Wilson shot at Brown, he said it was the only option he had. 

“I don’t think it’s haunting; it’s always going to be something that happened.‘The reason I have a clear conscience is because I know I did my job right,” Wilson said. 

The police officer expressed an apology to Brown’s family and reiterated that he did what he was trained to do for the job.

“I’m sorry that their son lost his life. It wasn’t the intention of the day. It was what occurred that day and there's nothing you can say that’s going to make a parent feel better,” he said.

“I just did my job. I did what I was paid to do. I followed training, training took over and training led to what happened.”

Publication date: November 26, 2014