Ferguson decision: Officer Darren Wilson describes Michael Brown as like 'Hulk Hogan' and a 'demon' in published testimony
Testimony released by Missouri State as riots engulf Ferguson once again and protests are held across United States
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Your support makes all the difference.Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson described feeling "like a five-year-old holding on to Hulk Hogan" during his confrontation with teenager Michael Brown.
In his testimony to a grand jury, which yesterday found no cause to indict him, Officer Wilson, 28, claimed the teenager looked like a "demon" during the confrontation. He also described the lead up to the event that sparked fiercely violent riots in Ferguson, Missouri, in September.
Today, protesters across US marched in solidarity against the Jury’s decision, while violence erupted once again on Ferguson’s streets.
Officer Wilson’s testimony on 16 September runs to 88 pages, during which the officer, who is currently on paid administrative leave, describes in emotive language the events preceding the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown.
The Ferguson officer, who confirmed to the jury he is "nearly" 6ft 4" tall and weighs roughly 15 stone, describes how the situation between him and Mr Brown escalated after the officer asked the teenager to move from the centre of the road.
Mr Brown allegedly replied to the officer, "F*** what you have to say."
Mr Brown, who is around 6ft 4” also and weighed roughly 16 stone, moved over to Officer Wilson’s car and began hitting him. “I felt that another one of those punches in my face could knock me out or worse. I mean it was, he’s obviously bigger than I was and stronger”.
Officer Wilson goes on: “I’ve already taken to two the face and … the third one could be fatal if he hit me right.”
“Or at least unconscious and then who knows what would have happened to me after that,” he adds.
Officer Wilson was taken to hospital after the shooting. He is recorded as having suffered bruising and some scratching to the back of his neck. In his testimony he says of the injuries to the jury: “It is hard to see on that. It is in that area right there.”
As they were grappling, Officer Wilson claims that Mr Brown took hold of his weapon and said: "You are too much of a pussy to shoot me."
After grappling, during which Officer Wilson was in his marked police car and Mr Brown was standing outside, the policeman managed to reach his pistol. The gun failed to go off twice, before Officer Wilson successfully discharged the weapon.
Immediately afterwards, Officer Wilson described seeing blood on his hand and looking up at Mr Brown who had stepped back from the vehicle.
“And then after he did that, he looked up at me and had the most intense aggressive face. The only way I can describe it, it looks like a demon, that’s how angry he looked.”
Officer Wilson claimed in his testimony to have fired his Sig Sauer .40 caliber gun twice successfully in the vehicle. He describes Mr Brown moving away from the vehicle and him telling the teenager to “get on the ground.”
The officer described as Mr Brown turned around he “made like a grunting, like aggravated sound”, before he appeared to reach with his right hand underneath his shirt.
He describes “backpedalling pretty good because I know if he reaches me, he’ll kill me.”
Officer Wilson continued firing, in total letting off six shots that struck Mr Brown. The teenager was unarmed at the time of the confrontation.
Following the verdict, read out at 8pm last night, riots have erupted in Ferguson. Reports from the town today detail police officers firing rubber bullets and tear gas into the crowds who took the streets to protest the decision not to indict the officer.
A heavily-armed police presence appears to be struggling to contain flare-ups of violence in the main strip of West Florissant Avenue - the focal point of much of the demonstrators' anger - as thousands taook to Twitter and social media.
Pictures emerging from the scene show large numbers of residents and protesters on the streets, as shops and local business report looting and violence.
You can read the full testimony of Officer Wilson below:
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