Darren Wilson, the man responsible for the death of 18-year-old Mike Brown, has resigned from the Ferguson police department, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In his resignation letter, Wilson stated that his continued duty would put Ferguson residents and officers “at risk,” but that it was his “hope to continue in police work.”
His letter reads:
“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.”
The news follows initial reports that Wilson would not be returning to life as a police officer.
“Realistically speaking, Darren will never be a police officer again, and he understands that,” Wilson’s lawyer Jim Towey said . “Going forward it will be school, and trying to carve out a new niche, new career, for he and his family.”
SEE ALSO: Wait, What? 15 Quotes From Darren Wilson’s 18-Page Testimony You Need To Read