Forensic evidence shows Michael Brown’s blood on the gun, uniform and inside the car of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, law enforcement officials said, information they think potentially corroborates the officer’s story that the unarmed 18-year-old tried to take his gun.
The evidence will make it harder for the Justice Department to prosecute Officer Darren Wilson on federal charges that he violated Brown’s civil rights, said the officials, who asked their names be withheld because of the sensitivity of the case.
Such evidence also would make it difficult for a county grand jury to indict Wilson on state charges, such as murder or manslaughter, said county sources who also are prohibited from talking on the record about the pending case.
The St. Louis County police, the FBI and a county grand jury are investigating the shooting. The Justice Department is investigating Ferguson and St. Louis County policing practices and whether they have violated the rights of residents.
Justice Department spokeswoman Dena Iverson declined to comment.
Wilson, who is white, fatally shot Brown, who is black, on Aug. 9 in the majority-black St. Louis suburb of Ferguson.
The three-minute encounter on a Saturday afternoon has rocked the metro area, which remains on edge as it faces continued protests and waits for the grand jury to decide whether Wilson should face charges in Brown’s death.
The New York Times first reported the forensic evidence Friday, citing “government officials briefed on the federal civil rights investigation.”
Officials who spoke to The Washington Post on Saturday said the forensic evidence supports Wilson’s account that a scuffle occurred at the police vehicle, that Wilson feared for his life and that Brown went for, or lunged for, his gun.
There were two shots fired in the vehicle, including one that hit Brown’s arm, an official said.
Wilson testified before the grand jury last month. His attorney, James Towey Jr., did not return a call seeking comment Saturday.
Benjamin Crump, a lawyer for Brown’s family, also could not be reached for comment. He told The New York Times, however, that Wilson’s word isn’t “gospel” and that he should be indicted and go to trial.
It has never been in question that there was an altercation. Wilson was inside the vehicle and Brown was at the driver’s window. From the earliest days, police have said that Brown had scuffled with Wilson.
Several witnesses recounted activity at the car, but each said they were unclear about the nature of that encounter. Brown, witnesses said, was fleeing when Wilson opened fire on the street. After being hit by a bullet, Brown turned around with his hands up, trying to surrender, when the officer shot him several more times, they said.
