Michael Brown Shooting: Justice Department Could Clear Darren Wilson Of Civil Rights Charges, Report Says

Darren Wilson may not face civil rights charges in the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, law enforcement officials told The New York Times. The FBI has completed its inquiry into the August 2014 shooting death of the black teenager and the Department of Justice is expected to clear Wilson who has since resigned from the force.

The federal investigation reportedly found no evidence to support the charges against Wilson in the 18-year-old unarmed black teen's death. The findings have been sent to the justice department and Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to announce his decision by spring, the Times reported. Prosecutors are reportedly preparing to recommend the closure of the case, which sparked days of unrest in the predominantly black town, and across the U.S. Tensions had again escalated across the nation after a Ferguson grand jury decided in November not to indict Wilson over the fatal shooting. Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Brown's family, did not comment on the news Wednesday.

"The family of Michael Brown Jr. will wait for official word from the Justice Department regarding whether or not any charges will be filed against the police officer who shot and killed him," Crump reportedly said, in a written statement. "The family won't address speculation from anonymous sources.

“We’ve heard speculation on cases before that didn’t turn out to be true,” Crump said, according to the Times. “It’s too much to put the family through to respond to every rumor.”

An attorney for Wilson reportedly said that his legal team has not received any communication from the justice department. "We don't believe he has done anything that would merit any kind of a prosecution or any kind of civil rights claims and we are just awaiting the outcome like everybody else," Neil Bruntrager, told Reuters.

Wilson, who had testified that he acted in self defense when he fatally shot Brown in the St. Louis suburb, resigned from the police department before the grand jury decision.

Brown’s shooting also led to another justice department investigation into the use of excessive force by the Ferguson Police Department. The investigation, which is currently ongoing, could bring several changes in the department, according to reports.