Darren Wilson
Officer Darren Wilson is pictured in this undated handout evidence photo from the Aug. 9 Ferguson Police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, released by the St. Louis County Prosecutor's Office on Nov. 24, 2014. REUTERS/St. Louis County Prosecutor's Office/Handout via Reuters

Police Officer Darren Wilson described the shooting of Michael Brown to ABC News in virtually the same language he used in testifying before the Ferguson, Missouri, grand jury that decided against indicting him.

"He threw the first punch," Wilson said, comparing Brown's size to Hulk Hogan. "I felt the immense power he had ... very large, very powerful man. As I'm holding him, I see him come around with his left hand ... just a solid punch to the right side of my face. The next thing was, how do I survive? I didn't know if I'd be able to withstand another hit like that."

Wilson said he warned Brown he would fire before he reached for his gun, adding he believed he was fighting for his life. "I could feel his hand trying to come over my hand and try to get inside the trigger guard and try to shoot me with my own gun," Wilson said. "That's when I pulled the trigger for the first time."

Wilson, 28, has kept a low-key profile since the Aug. 9 shooting, and a grand jury of 12 -- nine white and three black -- decided not to indict the Texas-born officer. The ABC News interview Tuesday evening was the first he has given the media.

"He answered every question," George Stephanopoulos told viewers before the interview aired in part.

Wilson said he was simply defending himself and didn't have another choice. He said the Brown shooting was the first time he had fired his gun in the line of duty.
"My job isn't to just sit and wait," Wilson answered when asked why he chased after Brown. He also said he didn't think he could have done anything differently, and race wasn't a factor in Brown's death.
"No question," he responded, when asked if he would have shot a white attacker.
Wilson mentioned thinking at one point during the fatal encounter that Brown might have had a gun. Wilson was not asked about his reaction when it became apparent, after the incident, that Brown had been unarmed.

Wilson recently married, and when asked about his dreams, responded: "We just want to have a normal life." Asked if he would be haunted by the shooting, Wilson said: "It's always going to be something that happened. I have a clean conscience because I know I did my job right."

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