Exonerated Ferguson, Mo. officer Darren Wilson says a grand jury's decision not to indict him in the Aug. 9 shooting-death of unarmed teen Michael Brown offered him a "brief respite," but won't end his agony.
"For him, none of this ends," Wilson's lawyer Neil Bruntrager said in a statement to the
St. Louis Post-Dispatch Monday night, adding the days leading up to the stunning decision were "tense" for the officer.
"People have made threats against his life, he will continue to be concerned about his family's security and his own," Bruntrager said. "[Not being indicted] is a brief respite, but certainly not the end of things for him," he said in the statement.
The lawyer also said Wilson was thankful to "those who have stood by his side throughout the process," the newspaper reports.
"This continued support is greatly appreciated by Officer Wilson and his family. Moving forward, any commentary on this matter will be done in the appropriate venue and not through the media."
"Law enforcement personnel must frequently make split-second and difficult decisions," the lawyer said. "Officer Wilson followed his training and followed the law.
"We recognize that many people will want to second-guess the grand jury’s decision. We would encourage anyone who wants to express an opinion do so in a respectful and peaceful manner," he said.
Fox News Channel aired a statement said to be directly from Wilson, which was read by one of his supporter on camera.
A woman wearing large, dark glasses and a ball cap to cover her face, read from a page with handwriting on it.
"To all of the pro-Officer Wilson supporters: I would like to than you all for standing up for me during this stressful time. Your support and dedication is amazing, and it is still hard to believe that all of these people that I have never met are doing so much for me," the statement read.
"I wish I could attend and meet you, hug you and personally thank you for all of your continued support. However, due to my and my family's safety I am unable to. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and know that I would do the same for any of you."
Bruntrager wouldn't say if Wilson
would resign from the force, as his been widely reported.
But the Post-Dispatch noted officials have already said they'd have no reason to fire him should there be no indictment, though an internal affairs investigation would have to decide whether the shooting was within department policies.
Ferguson police chief Tom Jackson wouldn't comment to the newspaper.
Meanwhile, Wilson
married his girlfriend, Barbara Spradling, on Oct. 24.
The Post-Dispatch reports Spradling is a decorated police officer who also works for the Ferguson police department, earning a medal of valor in September 2012 along with Ferguson officer Eddie Boyd for their role in arresting a robbery suspect.
But two weeks ago, Spradling went on sick leave due to stress at work, the Post-Dispatch reports.