Darren Wilson, the Ferguson, Missouri, police officer who killed a unnarmed black teenager Michael Brown in August -- igniting a national firestorm around issues of race and the legal use of lethal force -- has recently gotten married.
Wilson, 28, applied for a marriage license last month in Clayon, Missouri, outside of St. Louis, according to the New York Times. On Oct. 24, he wed another officer in the Ferguson Police Department, 37-year-old Barbara Spradling, with one of his lawyers as a witness.
According to the Times, a clerk at the St. Louis County building was unsure why Wilson stayed in the state, where his license would be exposed to public scrutiny. But he went "unnoticed" at the time of his application, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Wilson disappeared from public view almost immediately after the shooting and has remained on paid administrative leave. He has even reportedly failed to appear in court on cases in which he was an arresting officer.
A grand jury has been investigating Brown's death and their decision on whether to indict Wilson is expected at any time, as cities around the country prepare. He appeared before jurors for several hours in mid-September.
As the Times notes, the fourth-floor office where he obtained the license is very near the courthouse where they are deliberating.
According to reports, Wilson will resign from the department.
