Convenience store surveillance video may show shooting victim Michael Brown manhandling a store clerk and stealing cigars. Does this change your perspective on what is happening in Ferguson, MO? Update!

Courtesy of MSNBC: 

Police revealed the identity Friday of the officer who shot and killed unarmed teen Michael Brown, along with a report indicating that Brown and a friend had been involved in a theft at a convenience store shortly before the shooting occurred. 

According to the police report (embedded below), video surveillance allegedly showed Brown and his friend, Dorian Johnson, in an altercation with a store employee on Aug. 9. Brown and Johnson grabbed cigars from the store and behind the counter, the police report said. Before they left the store, the employee attempted to stop Brown from taking the merchandise, according to the report. Brown grabbed the employee by the shirt and pushed him into a display rack in the store, the report said, and Brown and Johnson left the store with the cigars.

Police also released the name of the police officer who shot Brown, Darren Wilson, and reported that he had suffered injuries to his face during the initial altercation on that sidewalk.

Brown is described as six foot four and just under three hundred pounds, which if he is the guy in this video, appears to be accurate.

Now I have seen more surveillance footage, and it clearly shows a guy with the suspect who looks exactly like the Dorian Johnson guy who claimed that the police shot Brown down like a dog. 

Now currently THAT is the only eyewitness report of the incident that we have heard, and it is the one that has caused such an angry reaction from the people of Ferguson, and from supporters around the world.

But if Johnson was involved with the robbery, is his word to be trusted?

This is why I like to wait for all of the facts to come out before I weigh in on a subject like this.

Now the question is, considering Brown's size and the fact that he may in fact have attacked the officer, could the shooting have been justified? And is it ever justified to shoot a suspect wanted for nothing more than shoplifting and minor assault?

Tell me what you think.

However even if it turns out that it was justified, it in no way excuses the way in which some of the peaceful protesters were treated by police.

Woman hit by rubber bullet in Ferguson, MO.

But that is another subject altogether.

Update: As many of you have pointed out that video which was released today was a red herring.  (I wondered why it was only shown on Fox for most of the morning.)

In fact the Ferguson police chief has said the two were unrelated.

I'm sorry it took so long to provide an update, I was away from my computer until just this minute.