Photos released by the St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office of Officer Darren Wilson, taken shortly after his altercation with 18-year-old Michael Brown on August 9th, 2014, appear to prove that Brown hit Officer Wilson so hard in the face that a mark was almost left on Wilson’s skin. In one of the photos, the skin above Wilson’s right jawbone is possibly reddened slightly.
In an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, and also in his grand jury testimony, Wilson described the punches Brown hit him with as so powerful that he might not survive even one more of them.
According to Josh Lovett of UCLA Medical Center, Wilson had reason to fear for his life.
In his press conference following the announcement that there would be no indictment of Officer Wilson, McCulloch, the prosecuting attorney, sought to point out the fact that Wilson’s skin is especially sensitive.
McCulloch had previously taken the unusual step of releasing all of the evidence seen by the grand jury, because, he says, he wanted the public to have all the facts. He says part of the reason he took that step was precisely because of issues like Officer Wilson’s sensitive skin.