
Darren Wilson interview ABC - H 2014
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On Wednesday morning, ABC News aired the final portion of the interview George Stephanopoulos conducted with Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, whom a grand jury recently decided not to indict for the shooting death of Michael Brown.
During the last part of the interview, Wilson hinted that his days as a police officer are over.
After Wilson spoke in past tense about his time with the Ferguson Police Department, Stephanopoulos asked if that means he won’t be a police officer again.
Read more Darren Wilson Tells George Stephanopoulos He Feared For His Life
“Do you really think it’s possible? I mean, you think they would accept me? You think it would be safe for me?” Wilson said in response. “Those are all questions not only for me, for the other officers. Is the attention being brought to me going to hurt one of them? Can I put them in that situation?”
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Still, he stopped short of saying he was retiring from the force.
“We don’t know that yet. No decisions have been made,” he said. “But these are all things we’re contemplating. Ideas. Thoughts.”
Living in hiding since the August shooting death of Brown, Wilson also talked to Stephanopoulos about the frequent concern for his safety that he felt.
Read more Violent, Fire-Filled Ferguson Protests Top Story on Network Morning Shows
“I would use the word stressful but that would be an understatement. You’re always looking. You’re always wondering if someone recognized you. Is someone following you? Every possibility you can think of,” Wilson said. “All the time you’re watching to make sure no one’s following you.”
Wilson, who also revealed he’s expecting a baby with his new wife, said going forward he just wants to “live a normal life.”
And while being a police officer was his dream job, he said he would like to be able to teach people and give them more insight into the use of force.
“Anything I can get out of this career so far and the incident, I would love to give someone else,” he said.
Read more Ferguson Grand Jury Decision Sparks Outrage: Hollywood Reacts
Wilson, who has said he was just doing his job when he fatally shot Brown, also weighed in on what he thought was behind the anger raging through Ferguson.
“I think there’s a communication breakdown,” he said. “Communication has to be re-established [between all parties involved].”
Wilson did say that he felt remorse for Brown’s death, saying “I never wanted to take anyone’s life.”
Read more Don Lemon Teargassed in Ferguson: “We Could Barely Move”
And in response to Brown’s parents’ reaction to the grand jury decision, expressing disappointment that, as they said in a statement, “the killer of our child will not face the consequences of his actions,” Wilson said, “I think those are grieving parents who are mourning the loss of their son.”
“I’m sorry that their son lost his life. It wasn’t the intention of that day, but it’s what occurred that day. There’s nothing you can say that would make a parent feel better,” he said.
The portions of Stephanopoulos’ interview with Wilson that aired on GMA are below, followed by the full interview, which ABC News posted online on Wednesday morning.
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