Among the claims that ignited the fury over the fatal shooting of Michael Brown were that Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson chased the unarmed teen on foot, shot at him as he ran away, then fired a barrage of fatal shots after Brown had turned around with his hands up.
Almost all of the witnesses who shared these accounts with media either knew Brown; lived at or near the Canfield Green apartments, where the shooting occurred; or were visiting friends or relatives there.
But there were two outsiders who happened to be working outside at the apartment complex on Aug. 9 — two men from a company in Jefferson County — who heard a single gunshot, looked up from their work and witnessed the shooting.
Both have given their statements to the St. Louis County police and the FBI. One of the men agreed to share his account with a Post-Dispatch reporter on the condition that his name and employer not be used.
The worker, who has not previously spoken with reporters, said he did not see what happened at the officer’s car — where Wilson and Brown engaged in an initial struggle and a shot was fired from Wilson’s gun.
His account largely matches those who reported that Wilson chased Brown on foot away from the car after the initial gunshot and fired at least one more shot in the direction of Brown as he was fleeing; that Brown stopped, turned around and put his hands up; and that the officer killed Brown in a barrage of gunfire.
The article goes on to say that the witness reports really do not shine any new light on the incident, since they essentially reflect what other witnesses have already said.
However what is different is that these are two WHITE witnesses with no previous connection to the victim as reported by the Global Grind.
That means that this can no longer be framed as a black vs white incident, with the Right Wing news outlets inferring that the black folk are simply defending their own while getting back at the po po.
I think it is far past time for Officer Wilson to finally get charged and spend some time in the clink.
I would like nothing more than to see that cop go to jail!
ReplyDeleteYou still don't have an accurate account. You don't know mentality of the cop and how threatened he was or what he thought Brown might do.
DeleteBy the way, a (caucasian) young man (early 20s) just got arrested for assaulting a female deputy. He slammed her head into the ground. Luckily she didn't die, but she has head fractures obviously. He also tried to assault other policemen before taking off.
DeleteTHAT is what contributes to police mentality.
Everyday some asshole tries to kill a cop for no reason but criminality or sanity.
Well then,the fact that some white got got arrested for hitting a female officer in some other jurisdiction perfectly justifies an officer unloading his gun to execute some black teenager who was surrendering with his hands up 30 feet away.
DeleteCase closed.
7:58
DeleteThat is the mentality of poorly trained police. In England they arrested a a machete weilding madman without firing a shot and they BROUGHT HIM TO THE HOSPITAL. That is their job. If you are too scared to do the job, don't join the police force.
How do you know they're white? That's not mentioned anywhere in the article.
ReplyDeleteRead the Global Grind link that Gryph provided.
DeleteBecause we all know how to read.
DeleteI also know how to read, especially the St. Louis Post-Dispatch article from which all subsequent articles were drawn. Nowhere in the Post article is skin color mentioned regarding the latest witnesses.
DeleteChrist in a handbag, omomma: The Global Grind article asserts that they "can conclusively conclude that those workers are white." That is where Gryphen gets his assertion the witnesses are white.
DeleteYour reading skills are deficient in this instance or you would know that the Global Grind article is not drawn solely form the St Louis Post-Dispatch article.
Let christ outta that handbag Liz. Global Grind isn't a reliable source. They state they can "conclusively conclude", but their conclusion isn't backed up anywhere, it's all speculation. That's why the Post didn't mention skin color; there's some unclarity there. The Post article does contain some local insider clues; that's what GloGrin is basing their speculation on.
DeleteOk, I think that makes about 4 witnesses that all agree on the key point, that Brown had his hands up when he was gunned down.
ReplyDeleteEven if he had earlier had a scuffle with the policeman, that is at least manslaughter 1, if not murder 2.
You just know that that cop was so furious, he brought down his wrath on that boy for having the nerve to scuffle with him.
DeleteMurder, not manslaughter. The young man had his hands up surrendering. Manslaughter is accidental death, blowing a pistol full of bullets into a person is not accidental.
DeleteUnless and until there is solid proof there was a scuffle or that Mike Brown hit the officer, I think the worst the youngster did was resist being pulled into the cop car. And that's one of the oddest things about the story as it stands right now and as reported by more than one of the witnesses -- that the cop was trying to pull anyone into the car through the window especially someone Mike Brown's size. Is THAT standard operating procedure?
DeleteAnonymous5:00 AM:
DeleteI totally agree with you and have stated that to my friends, from day 1.
Please roll down the window on your SUV. Then try to explain how you plan to pull a 6' 4" 350 pound man through that opening. Keep in mind that to complete this exercise, you would have to be a 6' 1" or 6' 2" guy (as this cop was), and that you (and possibly your cop-buddy mate) would already be taking up almost all of the space in the front of the SUV. Remember also that the window is far off the ground in this particular SUV model: have you seen the photos of this particular vehicle? I am 5' 6" tall and barely weigh 115 with all my clothes on. I have great difficulty in squeezing through one of those windows even if I really want to get through one. And pray tell, what cop pulls an unarmed gigantic person of whom he professes to be terrified through such a window and into his own secure cop vehicle window (assuming that this cop's 'story' – that he was very afraid of Michael Brown– to be true) – for JAYWALKING anyhow????? A courtroom re-enactment of this will be curtains for this cop. This story is so ridiculous that only the willfully ignorant could possibly buy into it. If you are among that crowd, then please move somewhere else: this country needs more logic and more gray matter, not more stupidity. That. cop. had. an. agenda. Unfortunately, he filled his agenda. But unfortunately – for him, not for Brown's family –, the world discovered his agenda, and now he seems pretty doggone upset about it. It's long past the due date for the world to discover the agenda of the Ferguson Police Department: it is rotten to the core.
Delete11:05.......... where to start....
DeleteHow about this:
A courtroom re-enactment of a cop trying to pull a 300lb man thru an SUV window would probably be welcomed by the defense.... The defense would actually love to see a prosecutor try and re-enact this scene.
Think about this one for a while. It takes critical thinking skills that you obviously lack tremendously. You may want to re-read (many times) what you wrote, and try to find the irony in your presumptions. Good luck!
Sad world huh--when only white people's words count when
ReplyDeleteit comes to matters of discord or incidents with African-Americans?
Here you go, the parts you left out because it doesn't fit your agenda:
ReplyDelete"But his account does little to clarify perhaps the most critical moment of the confrontation, on which members of the grand jury in St. Louis County may focus to determine whether the officer was justified in using lethal force: whether Brown moved toward Wilson just before the fatal shots, and if he did, how aggressively."
Fail.
DeleteWitnesses have consistently said that Brown was RUNNING AWAY from Wilson when Wilson repeatedly shot him.
From the article:
DeleteHe said the officer “didn’t say, ‘Get on the ground.’ He didn’t say anything. At first his gun was down and then he … got about 8 to 10 feet away from him … I heard six, seven shots … it seemed like seven. Then he put his gun down. That’s when Michael stumbled forward. I’d say about 25 feet or so and then fell right on his face.”
5:54, we know your agenda, making an upstart black boy a capital offense.
Delete7:10, why does this have to be about race?
DeleteBecause it IS about race, 7:27.
Delete7:27 AM All you have to do to decide whether it's about race or not is look at the racial make-up of not only Ferguson then read the crime statistics and the articles that have come out about the huge number of blacks who are arrested. It's astounding and clearly about race. It's all about race. And bully cops.
DeleteYup: we all just 'know' that when a person has already taken several bullets, he runs TOWARD the firing gun. Please move to another planet: we are looking for logic and gray matter on this one.
DeleteSorry 7:37, the only ones making this about race are people like yourselves and Al the pal Sharpton.
DeleteI predict that Wilson will totally skate. Being a cop means having a license to kill any time, any where, for any reason. That's why so many psychos become cops.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I'll be surprised if Wilson is indicted by the Grand Jury and more surprised if he's convicted.
DeleteDouble that for me!
DeleteIt used to be that instruments like the MMPI was used to screen OUT for pathology--not maybe it's used to screen IN.
DeleteExactly. The are legal assassins! They have been doing this shit now since Bush years.
DeleteKilling Vietnamese lady with a veg peeler (who was 80 yrs old) killing dogs, killing anything that moves. Because they can!"It lunged at me, I felt threatened bla, bla, bla". This shit needs to stop.
Cops need to Protect and Serve or BE FIRED! If they want to play war games go join the Militarily the police force is not Military! And yes get rid of the psycho killers in the force!
I doubt the Grand Jury will do anything. It would be nice if they did and convicted his ass and made a example of him but it won't happen. This country is too fucked up now.
@ 5:54 AM. Why use lethal force? If, as you contend, Mr. Brown did move toward Wilson, why not shoot him in the leg as that surely would have slowed him down. Lethal force was not necessary as Mr. Brown was unarmed.
ReplyDeleteHe had his hands up at that point, this is nothing short of murder. I hope the feds charge him.
Delete6:19, cops are not trained to shoot in the leg, if the situation escalates to drawing a weapon and firing, they are trained to shoot to kill, that's why.
DeleteActually they are trained to shoot to stop the perpetrator.
DeleteThey shoot at the trunk of the body, which offers the largest target.
And also, unfortunately, houses our fragile internal organs.
@ 7:29 AM. They are trained to kill an unarmed man? What a sad reflection on American law enforcement.
DeleteWell, I stand corrected and correct Gryph- after discharging their weapon into their center of mass, the end result is usually the same.
DeleteThey are trained to wound a perp to stop him/her. I would think going for an appendage would be smartest. Though that shot would be difficult sizewise.
Delete6:19 AM "if the situation escalates to drawing a weapon and firing, they are trained to shoot to kill,"
DeleteAre you saying that once a cop draws his gun, somebody's going to get killed?
No, not saying that at all, often weapons are drawn and never fired. But if they do start pulling the trigger... generally speaking, the person on the other end will be lucky to survive.
DeleteI really want to thank you Gryphen, for posting a positive photo of Michael Brown. Sadly, such photos are hard to find, with the more "menacing" photos being given precedence. I have a life-long interest in brain-washing the masses, and hate that Mike Brown has been so negatively portrayed. How is he to get a fair hearing? And why haven't we been shown the officer who murdered Mike, other than a photo of him receiving an award? I hope the new witnesses will help to convict the cold-blooded killer. I really do.
ReplyDelete"...convict the cold-blooded killer."
DeleteOpen-minded, are you? You aren't on the jury, you don't have any of the testimony other than what has been reported publicly, and that does not count in a courtroom.
Above all, you weren't there so you really don't know, do you?
Put the shoe on your foot: would you like to be tried and convicted in the media? I don't think so.
The media can't actually try and convict.
DeleteNeither can we.
What we can do is form an opinion based on the facts and circumstances before us. (An opinion which, if we cannot set it aside, would disqualify us from serving as a juror, BTW.)
My informed opinion is that the cop in this case is a murderer. You may draw a different conclusion but that is the conclusion I have drawn. As more is revealed I may change my mind but that is what is before me now.
Woa, Balzafiar...none of us were there. "...would you like to be tried and convicted in the media?" You seem to have missed the OBVIOUS...that the police department has already tried and "convicted" Mike Brown's character. If YOU had a son who was shot down by police, would YOU want your child to be portrayed as a "thug" so people would be sympathetic to Officer Wilson? Because, YOU certainly do seem to be sympathetic to Wilson, the coward who has been hiding instead of giving a straight forward account of his side of this story.
DeleteAnon 12:34 PM
DeleteThank you for replying, however you are misinterpreting what I wrote. I did not miss the obvious; my reply was pointedly addressing a portion of ONE statement that another wrote, nothing more, nothing less.
I can't say how I would feel if my son got shot by the police because that hasn't happened, and I don't expect it to although in today's world anything is possible. I don't worry about "what might happen". I let it happen, then I deal with -- for better or for worse. I can't predict events.
Sympathetic to Officer Wilson? Not at the moment. He's got himself into a world of trouble, and IF it is proven that he killed the young man unjustly, then he's going to be in a world of hurt -- big time. Then, and only then, might I feel any sympathy for what he would be going through in prison. Even then it would ONLY be because basically he is still a human being, and no human being should have to suffer what prisoners have to endure.
I do have my own private opinion for now, based on what I've read, but it is subject to change depending upon how his trial goes. My expressing that opinion in a public forum is pointless, useless even, because I certainly don't have all the facts.
Therefore my opinion along with about $1.67 will buy me a big coffee at 7-Eleven.
If this man were black, would he have even had time to put his hands up?
ReplyDeleteIf he weren’t a white open-carry ammosexual, would the police have been so gentle and understanding?
http://aattp.org/drunk-belligerent-gun-nut-ranting-about-revolution-confronted-by-cops-not-shot-once/
If a cop kills, it's cops that do the forensics and get witness statements. The deck is stacked in favor of the cop no matter what race the victim is.
ReplyDeleteDoes someone test the cop that killed for drugs? Do we trust the test "results"? Do we trust the prosecutor? The system is rigged from the get-go. Only solution I can think of is to fly in a specialty team with no connection to local cops. But then Michael Brown's body would have cooked on the pavement for much longer than 4+ hours.
You make a good point. Actually, a specialty team WAS flown in, with no connection to local cops. I'm not sure about Missouri FBI, but Eric Holder has made this case one of personal interest. His DOJ is not only monitoring the local investigation, they are now investigating the FPD. Maybe some justice will be done!
Delete@12:27 no much can done about a botched crime scene when the "specialists" turn up a week later. The evidence just ain't there anymore.
Delete12:27 exactly what is your definition of justice?
Delete