Wesley Bell, the prosecutor in St. Louis County, Missouri who took office in January 2019, has concluded that his office will not pursue charges against Darren Wilson, the former officer who shot and killed Michael Brown in 2014, The New York Times reports.
While Bell said Wilson was not blameless in the shooting, he noted that after an extensive investigation, his office could not prove Wilson committed a crime beyond a reasonable doubt, the standard for proceeding with a prosecution.
“Although this case represents one of the most significant moments in St. Louis’s history, the question for this office was a simple one: Could we prove beyond a reasonable doubt that when Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown he committed murder or manslaughter under Missouri law?” Bell said, according to the Times. “After an independent and in-depth review of the evidence, we cannot prove that he did.”
Brown was 18-years-old when he was confronted by Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri for walking in the middle of the street. The interaction escalated, with Wilson fire multiple gunshots at the unarmed Brown as, Wilson claimed, Brown charged toward him.
“There are so many points at which Darren Wilson could have handled the situation differently, and if he had, Michael Brown might still be alive,” Bell stated. Wilson resigned from the Ferguson police six months after Brown’s death.
Brown’s death was the first incident that brought the Black Lives Matter to national prominence. After two days of violent protests in Ferguson, the BLM movement took hold nationally, with protestors chanting, “Hands up! Don’t shoot!” Witnesses said Wilson shot Brown while Brown’s hands were in the air.
Bell’s decision to not charge Wilson likely puts an end to the possibility that Wilson will be charged in the case. Michael Brown’s family sued the city of Ferguson in a wrongful death lawsuit, receiving a $1.5 settlement.