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(CNN) -- Darren Wilson, the police officer who fatally shot an unarmed teenager in August, has resigned from the police department in Ferguson, Missouri, his attorney, Neil Bruntrager, confirmed to CNN Saturday night.
In a telephone interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Wilson said he resigned after the police department told him it received threats of violence if he remained an employee.
"I'm resigning of my own free will," he said. "I'm not willing to let someone else get hurt because of me."
He said resigning was "the hardest thing I've ever had to do."
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A man kneels in the middle of a street and yells at police before being arrested outside the police department in Ferguson, Missouri, on Saturday, November 29. Ferguson has struggled to return to normal since Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, on August 9. The grand jury's decision not to indict Wilson prompted new waves of protests in Ferguson and across the country.
Photos: Unrest in Ferguson
The resignation, which is immediate, comes five days after a grand jury decided not to indict Wilson in the killing of Michael Brown, 18.
The shooting sparked worldwide protests and the Monday announcement of no indictment triggered another round of demonstrations that continued through the week and into the weekend.
As police and protesters clashed, a contentious national debate on race and law enforcement reopened, with many people complaining that police unfairly target black males. Wilson is white and Brown was black.
Wilson says he's sorry but his conscience is clear
'He's 112 days too late'
People gathered again Saturday on the streets of Ferguson. One protester, Monica Chambers told CNN affiliate KMOV that Wilson should have been out of a job much earlier.
"He's 112 days too late," she said. "He should have been fired on Day One."
Wilson had been a member of the Ferguson Police Department for six years. He had been on paid administrative leave since the incident.
According to the Post-Dispatch, Wilson said he's not receiving a severance package. He'd been negotiating his resignation for weeks, according to people close to the talks. The letter does not say what Wilson plans to do next.
Wilson, 28, cited security fears in his letter of resignation, which reads:
"I, Darren Wilson, hereby resign my commission as a police officer with the City of Ferguson effective immediately. I have been told that my continued employment may put the residents and police officers of the City of Ferguson at risk, which is a circumstance that I cannot allow.
"For obvious reasons, I wanted to wait until the grand jury made their decision before I officially made my decision to resign. It was my hope to continue in police work, but the safety of other police officers and the community are of paramount importance to me. It is my hope that my resignation will allow the community to heal. I would like to thank all of my supporters and fellow officers throughout this process."
Wilson's lawyer, Bruntrager, told CNN that Wilson had been in hiding since days after the shooting, when he received a phone call saying his home address was circulating on the internet. He was mowing the grass at the time.
Former officer moved from house to house
"He had to leave the grass literally halfway mowed and he had to go into hiding because there are death threats against him, there are bounties on his head," he said.
He stayed under the radar by moving from house to house, including briefly living with one of his lawyers, and spending time watching movies in dark theaters to avoid detection.
During this time, Wilson married a fellow Ferguson police officer. According to a St. Louis County marriage license, Wilson on October 24 married Barbara Lynn Spradling, with whom he shares a home in St. Louis.
On Tuesday, Wilson told ABC News that Brown was the aggressor in the minutes before the shooting.
In an account that generally mirrored his testimony before the grand jury, Wilson said Brown had attacked him while the officer sat in his car, then fled. Wilson said he chased after Brown until Brown turned back toward him, refusing Wilson's commands to stop.
Wilson denied some witnesses' claims that Brown had his hands up when he was fatally shot. "That would be incorrect," Wilson said.
As Brown approached, Wilson said, he warned Brown to stop. When he didn't stop, Wilson fired his handgun.
"I had to. If I don't, he will kill me if he gets to me," Wilson said.
Brown, who had been hit, continued to come toward Wilson, the officer said. Wilson fired again and began backing away.
"He gets to about 8 or 10 feet, and as he does that he kind of starts to lean forward, like he's going to tackle me. And I look down the barrel of my gun and I fired and what I saw was his head, and that's where (the bullet) went."
Governor calls for special session
In other action related to Ferguson, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon called for a special state legislative session to address "critical funding" needs for the National Guard and state police after violent protests in Ferguson this week.
In a late-night call with state legislative leaders Friday night, Nixon highlighted the session's urgency to ensure Guard members are paid on December 15, his office said in a statement.
Hundreds more protesters turned out late Friday after a quiet Thanksgiving, clashing with officers and National Guard troops outside the Ferguson Police Department.
As protesters stepped into the street, authorities rushed across to take them into custody -- pulling some to the ground and shackling them with plastic zip-tie cuffs.
At least 16 people were arrested, including one facing a charge of assault on a law enforcement officer. One officer was injured, police said.
The protests have spread beyond Ferguson.
Nationwide demonstrations included service disruptions at an Oakland, California, transit station and a march in New York City.
Protesters in Seattle clashed with authorities as well, prompting police to use pepper spray.
Complete coverage of what's happening in Ferguson
CNN's Ray Sanchez and Joshua Berlinger contributed to this report.
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Members of the NAACP and other demonstrators march up Chambers Avenue in Ferguson, Missouri, on Saturday, November 29. The NAACP has organized a "Journey of Justice" march from Ferguson, Missouri, to the Missouri governor's residence in Jefferson City over the next seven days, a march of 120 miles.
Police confront demonstrators outside the police station in Ferguson, Missouri, on Friday, November 28.
The Rev. Carlton Lee of Flood Christian Church, which was torched in the wake of the grand jury's decision in the Michael Brown shooting, speaks during a Thanksgiving service at Wellspring Church in Ferguson, Missouri, on Thursday, November 27.
Neighbors paint a boarded-up storefront in Ferguson on November 27.
An officer redirects traffic as police keep part of a street closed in Ferguson on November 27.
Members of the National Guard man a checkpoint at a Ferguson shopping mall on November 27.
National Guard troops, who were called up by Gov. Jay Nixon to help maintain order, help with security at the mall on Wednesday, November 26.
National Guard troops are seen in Ferguson on November 26.
Nick Ahmad, owner of Elite Liquor, peers out of the store's door while waiting for customers on November 26. Ahmad paid $3,000 to hire several residents from the community to stand guard outside his business and deter looters.
Snow falls as the Missouri National Guard watches protesters outside of the Ferguson Police Department on November 26.
A protester is helped after being pepper-sprayed on November 26.
A protester holds her hands up in front of police on Tuesday, November 25.
Police arrest a protester November 25.
Protesters vandalize a police vehicle outside Ferguson City Hall on November 25.
Police stand guard near Ferguson City Hall during protests on November 25.
Smoke engulfs a police officer on November 25.
Police take a protester into custody on November 25.
Protesters stand across the street from the Ferguson Police Department on November 25.
Protesters face off against a police officer on November 25.
Protesters link arms in front of the Ferguson Police Department on November 25.
National Guard troops secure the police station in Ferguson on November 25.
Police officers walk past the smoldering remains of a beauty supply store on November 25.
A woman cleans up glass from a business' shattered window on November 25.
A Ferguson firefighter surveys rubble at a strip mall that was set on fire overnight.
Protesters run away after police deployed tear gas in Ferguson on Monday, November 24.
Police take position during clashes with protesters on November 24.
A protester stands in front of police vehicles with his hands up on November 24.
Police in riot gear move past a burning vehicle on November 24.
A looter in Ferguson walks out of a burning Walgreens on November 24.
Riot police clash with protesters on November 24.
Firefighters work on extinguishing a Little Caesars restaurant on November 24.
Smoke fills the streets of Ferguson as buildings burn on November 24.
Police officers grab a protester on November 24.
A woman treats her face for possible tear gas exposure on November 24.
People walk away from a burning storage facility on November 24.
A man steps out of a vandalized store on November 24.
A police officer runs by a burning police car on November 24.
Police officers stand guard as protesters confront them on November 24.
Protesters block streets in St. Louis after the announcement of the grand jury's decision on November 24. Ferguson is a suburb of St. Louis.
Police confront protesters in Ferguson on November 24.
A police officer points his rifle at demonstrators on November 24.
Protesters run for shelter as smoke fills the streets of Ferguson on November 24.
The glass windows of a store are shattered on November 24.
A demonstrator listens to a car radio as the grand jury's decision is delivered in front of the Ferguson Police Department.
Lesley McSpadden, mother of Michael Brown, is escorted away from the Ferguson Police Department on November 24.
A group of protesters vandalizes a police vehicle in Ferguson on November 24.
Police officers confront protesters on November 24.
Demonstrators block traffic during a protest in front of the Ferguson Police Department on November 24.
Demonstrators gather outside the police station on November 24. The man in the green sleeves is Michael Brown's stepfather, Louis Head. In a video of the scene from the New York Times, Brown consoles a tearful McSpadden and then tells the crowd to "burn this mother f---er down."
Protesters gather as they wait for the announcement of the grand jury decision on November 24.
Members of the media line up in a parking lot across from the Buzz Westfall Justice Center on November 24.
Residents begin to gather at the Michael Brown memorial ahead of the grand jury announcement.
National Guard troops arrive ahead of the grand jury announcement.
Members of the Missouri National Guard are escorted out of the Buzz Westfall Justice Center.
Demonstrators are confronted by police as they block a street before the grand jury announcement.
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