FERGUSON, Mo. (ABC News) - The Ferguson police officer who shot and killed an unarmed teenager suffered “a serious facial injury” in the altercation before firing the fatal shots, according to a source close to the officer who spoke to ABC News today. 
 
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 The characterization about Officer Darren Wilson being injured in his confrontation with Michael Brown emerged on the day that a grand jury was expected to begin hearing evidence in the shooting. 
 
 Brown, 18, was shot and killed by Wilson on Aug.9, and protesters have been angrily calling for Wilson's arrest and indictment since that day. 
 
 St. Louis County Prosecutor David McCullough cautioned Wednesday that a decision on whether or not the officer would be indicted will not come quickly. He told ABC News "our target date is the middle of October" for wrapping up the evidence and asking the jury to decide whether to charge Wilson. Grand juries typically meet one day a week. 
 
 A source close to Wilson told ABC News that during the struggle at the patrol car, Wilson suffered “a serious facial injury.” 
 
 The injury was not described, but last week Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson said that Wilson had swelling to the side of his face. 
 
 The news came Wednesday as protesters and police faced off again in Ferguson overnight, with a thrown water bottle briefly re-igniting the turmoil, but authorities are hopeful the unrest in the St. Louis suburb is reaching a turning point. 
 
 Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson, speaking at an early-morning news conference, thanked volunteers, clergy and community activists for helping to quell the discontent that has lingered since the Aug. 9 police shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown. 
 
 “They had a calming influence on the younger people,” Johnson said. “Tonight, we saw a different dynamic.” 
 
 Authorities arrested 47 people overnight, including one person for the third time, Johnson said. Some of those arrested had made threats to kill a police officer, Johnson said, but the clashes didn’t feature some of the heightened measures of previous nights. No Molotov cocktails or shootings from protesters, no smoke bombs or tear gas from police. 
 
 Attorney General Eric Holder also traveled to Ferguson Wednesday to meet with FBI and other officials carrying out an independent federal investigation into Brown's death. 
 
 Holder addressed the situation in an editorial for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper. 
 
 “Our investigation into this matter will be full, it will be fair, and it will be independent,” Holder wrote. “And beyond the investigation itself, we will work with the police, civil rights leaders, and members of the public to ensure that this tragedy can give rise to new understanding — and robust action — aimed at bridging persistent gaps between law enforcement officials and the communities we serve.” ||||| Since the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown by Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson, more shocking information has been revealed every day. Now, the latest reports are saying that a scuffle between Brown and Wilson in Wilson’s patrol car resulted in the officer suffering a facial injury. 
 
 According to multiple reports, Officer Darren Wilson suffered what is said to be an “orbital blowout fracture” to his eye socket after getting into a physical altercation with Brown prior to his death. The reported injury has apparently been verified by a source in the prosecutor’s office as well as by the St. Louis County Police, according to The Gateway Pundit. 
 
 “A blowout fracture is a fracture of one or more of the bones surrounding the eye and is commonly referred to as an orbital floor fracture,” explains the Gateway Pundit. 
 
 This new revelation seems to fall in line with earlier reports from last week, prior to the identification of Officer Wilson, in which Ferguson Chief of Police Tom Jackson said the officer “was hit” and “the side of his face was swollen.” 
 
 This latest update comes after various media outlets reported yesterday that at least a dozen witnesses have corroborated Officer Wilson’s version of the events that resulted in Michael Brown’s death. 
 
 Sources: IJReview, The Gateway Pundit, KMOV, NY Post
– The police officer in Ferguson, Mo., who shot Michael Brown has gone underground, in a big, big way. The media usually dig up information on major news figures via social media, or family and friends—but any social media accounts Darren Wilson had were scrapped before the police divulged his name, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. A few supporters have spoken in his defense, but no one very close to him, and neither his attorney nor police union officials have anything to say. "He’s had some advice to dive down a hole and take cover for now," says a crisis-management expert. "They're doing everything possible." A friend who's an aspiring cop has spoken up in Wilson's defense, saying he's "100% sure" that Wilson "feared for his life" in shooting Brown. As an aside, the Post-Dispatch notes that Chief Thomas Jackson says Wilson's face was swollen after he struggled with Brown; unnamed sources tell WJLA that Wilson suffered a "serious facial injury," and multiple reports say it was an "orbital blowout fracture," reports Opposing Views. CNN's Don Lemon, however, reported that while Wilson was treated for swelling around his eyes, he did not have a broken eye socket, notes Salon. All the conflicting reports are based on anonymous sources, and Ferguson officials have yet to offer much clarification. (Ferguson's new plan: police cameras.)