WASHINGTON (AP) – The New York Times is reporting that the police officer who fatally shot an unarmed 18-year-old in a St. Louis suburb last summer has told investigators that he was pinned in his vehicle and in fear for his life as they struggled over his gun.
The newspaper reports that Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson has told authorities that Michael Brown reached for the gun during a scuffle. The Times reports that the officer’s account to authorities did not explain why he fired at Brown multiple times after emerging from his vehicle.
According to the newspaper, the account of Wilson’s version of events came from government officials briefed on the federal civil rights investigation into the Aug. 9 shooting.
Racial unrest and weeks of protests followed Brown’s death.