Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson Fled Town ‘Days Ago’

By Julianne Hing Aug 15, 2014

While police, armed and armored to the hilt, staged a paramilitary operation in Ferguson, Missouri this week, the officer who started it all had already left town. Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, a six-year veteran who shot and killed Michael Brown on Saturday, was nowhere to be found when USA Today reporters visited his home in Crestwood, Missouri today. A police officer stationed in front of Wilson’s home told the paper that "Wilson and his family left days ago," USA Today reported.

Yamiche Alcindor, Marisol Bello and Aamer Madhani reported for USA Today:

A neighbor, who did not want to be identified, said that Wilson had moved into the neighborhood less than a year ago. She described him as " tall and slim" and that she would see him walking his dog in the neighborhood of mostly single-story brick homes. She said she didn’t know he was the cop until this morning when Crestwood police informed residents that he was involved and the neighborhood would be getting attention.

Another neighbor, Ron Gorski, said he hopes Wilson gets a fair break.

"He’s a young guy," Gorski said of Wilson. "Things happen and it’s a complicated situation. I feel for the family and the entire country."

Complicated, sure. If police response thus far has been any indication, Wilson’s neighbors ought to be more concerned about the "fair break" Brown and his family and community will get.