Justice Department Won't Charge Officer Darren Wilson For Michael Brown's Death

Federal officials found there was no evidence to counter the Ferguson police officer’s testimony that he feared for his life.

St. Louis County Prosecutor's Office via Getty Images

Officer Darren Wilson will not face federal charges over the shooting death of teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in August 2014, Department of Justice officials said Wednesday.

The announcement ended a months-long investigation by DOJ officials into the Ferguson shooting, which ignited a racial controversy across the United States and led to widespread protests.

Wilson, who was cleared by a Missouri grand jury in November over Brown's death, had faced the prospect of potential federal charges, but officials said they could not discover any evidence to contradict Wilson's claim that he feared for his life when he shot the black teen.

"Federal statutes require the government to prove that Officer Wilson used unreasonable force when he shot Michael Brown and that he did so willfully, that is, he shot Brown knowing it was wrong and against the law to do so," the DOJ said in a news release.

"After a careful and deliberative review of all of the evidence, the department has determined that the evidence does not establish that Darren Wilson violated the applicable federal criminal civil rights statute."

Michael Brown's family was informed of the department's findings earlier on Wednesday, officials said.

However, a separate civil rights investigation also found a pattern of racial bias among Ferguson police officers.

"Our investigation showed that Ferguson police officers routinely violate the Fourth Amendment in stopping people without reasonable suspicion, arresting them without probable cause, and using unreasonable force against them," Attorney-General Eric Holder said.

The report found Ferguson police had a "pattern or practice" of interfering with the right to free speech under the First Amendment, as well as using unreasonable force in violation of the Fourth Amendment.

The DOJ found that 93% of all the people arrested in Ferguson between 2012 and 2014 were black, even though the city is only 67% African-American. Blacks were also heavily stopped for jay-walking offenses or failing to comply.

Federal investigators also found that the Ferguson Municipal Court focused on revenue rather than public safety, resulting in violations of due process and equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment.

After reviewing more than 35,000 pages of police records for its investigation, the DOJ expressly highlighted a "racial bias" that existed in the town.

"Ferguson's harmful court and police practices are due, at least in part, to intentional discrimination, as demonstrated by direct evidence of racial bias and stereotyping about African Americans by certain Ferguson police and municipal court officials," the DOJ said.

"As detailed in our report, this investigation found a community that was deeply polarized, and where deep distrust and hostility often characterized interactions between police and area residents," said Holder.

The outgoing attorney-general also called on Ferguson's leaders to take "immediate, wholesale and structural corrective action."

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