DOJ May Not Charge Darren Wilson for Civil Rights Violations

The New York Times is reporting that the Department of Justice may not press civil rights charges against Officer Darren Wilson, whose shooting of a black teenager sparked months of unrest and debate about the relationship between the police and the African-American community.

According to the Times, the DOJ’s investigation yielded no new evidence that Wilson’s account of the death of Michael Brown was inaccurate, and that given the circumstances, they would not be able to file federal civil rights charges against him. “The Justice Department would have needed to prove that Officer Wilson had intended to violate Mr. Brown’s rights when he had opened fire and that he had done so willfully — meaning he knew that it was wrong to fire, but did so anyway,” they explained.

Back in December, a Missouri grand jury failed to indict Wilson for the death of Brown, on the grounds that Brown had charged at Wilson, prompting him to defend himself by shooting Brown.

However, their concurrent investigation into the Ferguson Police Department for civil rights violations is still pending, and may lead to significant reform in that regard.

[Image via screenshot/ABC]

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