bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Reuters

The white US police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager in a St Louis suburb has resigned, as activists set out on a 200km march to protest against the killing and a grand jury's decision not to indict him.
The resignation of Darren Wilson from the Ferguson police force comes nearly four months after he killed 18-year-old Michael Brown and days after the announcement that he would not face criminal charges.
The incident, which has led to months of sometimes violent protests in Ferguson, has reignited a debate over race relations and the use of police force.

Neil Bruntrager, a lawyer for Wilson, confirmed that the officer had submitted his resignation, a move that was long anticipated.
"In terms of his safety, it is probably the best thing for him," said Cynthia Burnes, 26, a nurse's assistant from St Louis who was among about 50 people gathered in front of the Ferguson police headquarters on Saturday evening. "He is blacklisted from this moment on."
A man was arrested at the scene after he knelt in the middle of the street with his hands raised, chanting "Hands up, don't shoot", a common refrain at Ferguson protests.
In a letter published by the St Louis Post-Dispatch, Wilson said he had 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."
Wilson, who said he was acting in self-defence when he shot Brown, said he wanted to wait until after the grand jury's decision before he made his decision to resign, according to the letter.
After a night of arson and looting in Ferguson following the decision, demonstrations last week spread to other major US cities, with some of the protests targeting shopping malls on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, as the holiday shopping season got under way.
On Saturday, activists shifted gears by setting off on a seven-day march from Ferguson to Jefferson City, the state capital. More than 150 people set out on the "Journey for Justice" from the Canfield Green Apartments, near the spot where Brown was shot and killed.
The protest, reminiscent of the civil rights marches of the 1960s, was organised by the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, which is calling for a reform of police practices, a new police chief in Ferguson and a national law to prevent racial profiling by police.


Darren Wilson, policeman who shot dead Michael Brown in Ferguson, quits the force

Officer Darren Wilson is pictured in this undated handout evidence photo. Photo: Reuters

Protesters attempt to communicate with police guarding a business in Ferguson, Missouri. Photo: Reuters

A protestor shouts at police as he blocks traffic before being arrested outside the Ferguson Police Station in Ferguson. Photo: Reuters

Police chase demonstrators out of the street. Photo: EPA

An image of 18-year-old Michael Brown is seen on the tie of his father Michael Brown Sr. as he attends Sunday service under a makeshift tent next to the destroyed Flood Christian Church in Ferguson. Photo: Reuters

Ferguson shooting protesters lay on a shopping boycott for Black Friday

Protesters lie on the floor inside a shopping mall near Fergsuon in Missouri. Other protests were held across the US. Photo: AP

News

World

As Darren Wilson resigns for 'safety' reasons, activists begin protest march


The white US police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager in a St Louis suburb has resigned, as activists set out on a 200km march to protest against the killing and a grand jury's decision not to indict him.


Darren Wilson, policeman who shot dead Michael Brown in Ferguson, quits the force

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}As Darren Wilson resigns for 'safety' reasons, activists begin protest march

As Darren Wilson resigns for 'safety' reasons, activists begin protest march