Exclusive: Officer Darren Wilson Discusses His Personal Life
— -- Police Officer Darren Wilson, who has been in seclusion since the fatal shooting of Ferguson teenager Michael Brown, revealed to "Good Morning America" today that he and his new wife are expecting a baby.
Wilson, 28, had earlier told GMA anchor George Stephanopoulos that he had gotten married since the Aug. 9 shooting that has rocked Ferguson and much of the country.
In an installment of the exclusive interview released today, Wilson mentioned that his wife is pregnant.
Wilson was cleared by a grand jury Monday of any crime in the shooting death of Brown, a decision that has roiled Ferguson and prompted raucous protests in cities across the country.
The officer, who has been a cop in Ferguson for four years as well as two more years in another town, said his life has been “stressful” since the lethal confrontation. He even grew a beard to hide his identity, he said.
“You’re always looking, you’re always wondering if someone’ll recognize you, if someone is following you. Just every possibility you can think of,” Wilson told Stephanopoulos.
Wilson said he takes precautions wherever he goes, “from where you sit in the restaurant to, you know, where you drive. Everything has to run through your head. It’s every time you walk, you make sure no one’s following you, everything.”
Wilson said he wanted to spend his career with the police force, hoping to one day be promoted to sergeant.
“I wanted to stay on the road for 30 years and then retire as sergeant and have a retirement,” Wilson said. “That’s all that I wanted.”
Now, he’s not sure he can return to the Ferguson PD.
"I'm not sure it's possible. I mean, you think they would accept me? You think it'd be safe for me?" Wilson asked.
He said his notoriety could also put his fellow officers in jeopardy. "Can I put them in that situation?" he asked. Wilson said a final decision on returning to the force has not been made.
“I would love to teach people. I would love to give more insight on … into the use of force and anything I can,” he said. “Anything that I can get out of this career I’ve had so far and of the incident, I would love to give to someone else.”
