WASHINGTON, November 30 (Sputnik) — Ferguson mayor rejected Sunday having placed pressure on Darren Wilson, police officer who shot and killed an African-American teenager, to make him resign.
Mayor James Knowles said at a press conference broadcast by the NBC News that he did not ask Darren Wilson to resign.
Wilson resigned from the Ferguson Police Department late Saturday, citing threats of violence.
"I have 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… It was my hope to continue in police work, but the safety of other police officers and the community are of paramount importance to me," Wilson said in his resignation letter, cited by St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
On Monday, the Ferguson grand jury decided not to bring charges against Darren Wilson who shot dead unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown on August 9. The controversial jury decision led to massive protests that swept across 180 US cities of 38 different states. People also protested against the grand jury's decision in the United Kingdom.
