Ferguson Cop Manages to Lie Low Amid Furor

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.)