McCulloch told reporters the evidence presented to the jury had shown Wilson had shot as a legitimate act of self-defense during a tussle that broke out as he was responding to a robbery.
He said the “altercation” had broken out as Wilson was sitting in his patrol car and Brown was at the window. Wilson testified to the jury that Brown leaned into the car and attacked him, grabbing his gun.
A picture taken after the incident and released by the prosecutor showed Wilson with a very slight bruise to his right cheek.
“During the altercation, two shots were fired by Officer Wilson while still inside the vehicle,” McCulloch said.
– Twelve shots –
After these shots were fired, Wilson is said to have left the car to pursue Brown, who at some point turned on him. Ten shots were fired and the young man was killed, hit six times.
In August, some early witnesses had said that Brown had his hands up and was surrendering when he was killed. But McCulloch said the physical evidence and other witnesses contradicted this account.
“Decisions on a matter as serious as charging an individual with a crime simply cannot be decided on anything less than a complete critical examination of all available evidence,” he said.
In a statement, the Brown family said: “We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions.
“We respectfully ask that you please keep your protests peaceful,” the family added, calling for legal reform. “Answering violence with violence is not the appropriate reaction.”
– Plea for non-violence –
After the grand jury announcement, Attorney General Eric Holder said that a separate federal civil rights investigation into the incident and Ferguson policing in general would continue.
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