What we know about Michael Brown's shooting

[Billnew]

What we know about Michael Brown's shooting - CNN.com

Dorian Johnson told CNN affiliate KTVI that he and Brown were walking in the middle of the street, and the officer told them to use the sidewalk.
The two told the officer they were only a minute from their destination and that they'd soon be out of the street.

This is the part that isn't disputed.

Eye witness say the cop fired a shot after getting out of the car. There is no reason to fire at this point. Then fired another that got the boys to stop running.
(you don't shoot at unarmed people to get them to stop running.)

Then when the victim turned and raised his arms, the cop shot him again.

The cops side says:
The victim charged the officer and pushed him back into his car, a shot was fired in the car as the two struggled for the weapon. Then the cop shot the youth to death.

It would seem evidence should clearly support one story over the other.

One question, if you are breaking the law(walking down the center of the street) why not just do as the police said and stop breaking the law, instead of telling a cop you won't be breaking the law much longer because your almost home?
Without race being involved, I bet I would get a ticket if I didn't get out of the road right away.

People need to let justice run its course before they get violent. I support all peaceful protest. Destroying random peoples property doesn't do anyone any good.
I believe a good portion of the rioters could care less about this incident. They are just looking to destroy stuff or steal, and they think they will get away with it since so many people are doing it.

Even if the cop shot the boy execution style, there is no cause to riot in the streets. We live by laws, if laws are broken, justice will be done. If justice fails, there is appeals. IF appeals fail, then there is plenty of time to destroy random peoples stuff then.

 

[abysmul]

At this time about all we have is: an on duty police officer shot and killed someone.

The rest is pretty much hearsay.

 

[~RENEE~]

Living in the area I can see a race war getting fired up and they are using this child's death as a result. The gun fire I'm hearing here in South City the feeling in the air. Something bad is starting. And we are getting out

 

[Lost Angel]

Citizens in many areas don't trust police and the justice system. To a degree they have a good reason for this. There has been a major struggle between police and citizens for generations.

I don't understand the mindset involved in rioting, vandalizing, and looting in ones own neighborhood. It seems to be counterproductive, but I have never been in the shoes.

 

[keith99]

Citizens in many areas don't trust police and the justice system. To a degree they have a good reason for this. There has been a major struggle between police and citizens for generations.

I don't understand the mindset involved in rioting, vandalizing, and looting in ones own neighborhood. It seems to be counterproductive, but I have never been in the shoes.

Every neighborhood has some scum. Some areas more some less.

Every neighborhood has some hotheads. Every neighborhood has people who want to take action when wronged.

I'm in a middle class neighborhood. There is a community watch program that meets at a local Church some of the time. There is a cop who lives across the street, a pretty decent guy.

In my neighborhood there are plenty of people with connections, including me. Not buddy buddy, but enough that I could honestly say give us a chance to put pressure on.

A poorer neighborhood does not have that damper and release valve. It may have a few more hotheads, or perhaps not quite so hotheads, just more who have no other path to take than shouting in the streets.

Now if it is a neighborhood that ever got a bad reputation then it will have lost some of the people who want to do right for themselves, even more so if they have kids. Over time it will end up with more scum. Not a huge amount more, but 10% scum vrs 5% scum makes a huge difference.

What would never start in my neighborhood, what would start and stay loud shouting eventually run down in a slightly less well off area instead in a poor neighborhood is a powder keg waiting to go off. And the more real scum the more matches waiting to set it off.

 

[keith99]

At this time about all we have is: an on duty police officer shot and killed someone.

The rest is pretty much hearsay.

It seems there is no dispute that there was a physical altercation BEFORE and shots were fired.

Now just who forced that dispute is unknown, but the image of firing out of the blue is shot to ****.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

The kid was unarmed and black. Why would he get into a physical altercation with an armed police officer?

I find it hard to believe a black teenager hasn't been warned already about the dangers of dealing with the police.

 

[keith99]

The kid was unarmed and black. Why would he get into a physical altercation with an armed police officer?

I find it hard to believe a black teenager hasn't been warned already about the dangers of dealing with the police.

That argument is totally out the window.

He would have been warned far earlier about walking in the street.

And if he had been told anything about dealing with police he would have been told that when you are talking to the cops and breaking the law you immediately stop breaking the law.

There is no dispute that he continued to walk in the street after being told not to.

So why should his foolishness stop there?

This DOES NOT prove the kid instigated the physical contact, but it does demolish the argument that it is unreasonable to think he might have.

 

[abysmul]

The kid was unarmed and black. Why would he get into a physical altercation with an armed police officer?

You've clearly never watched Cops or the news, or read newspapers... the number of unarmed PEOPLE who get in physical altercations with police are legion.

 

[Brigid48]

Citizens in many areas don't trust police and the justice system. To a degree they have a good reason for this. There has been a major struggle between police and citizens for generations.

I don't understand the mindset involved in rioting, vandalizing, and looting in ones own neighborhood. It seems to be counterproductive, but I have never been in the shoes.

The rioting and looting is indeed not something that makes sense, but it seems common in situations like this (there was the London riots a while back with a situation like this). The citizens (rather the black citizens) here certainly had reason to distrust the police. I found some disturbing stats over on Reason (Can't link yet):

Despite the rioting, a response to what looks a lot like a cold-blooded killing by cops, crime in Ferguson has been declining for the last decade and a half, approaching the national average. At the same time, while blacks make up two-thirds of the population, they are twice as likely to be stopped by police as whites, 80 percent of stops are of black residents, and they account for 93 percent of arrests and 92 percent of searches. This despite cops finding contraband on 34 percent of whites stopped but only 22 percent of blacks, according to a racial profiling report from the Missouri's attorney general last year.

I can't say I blame them even if I don't understand the looting.

 

[.chrys.]

Living in the area I can see a race war getting fired up and they are using this child's death as a result. The gun fire I'm hearing here in South City the feeling in the air. Something bad is starting. And we are getting out

We're 9 miles to the north and west of Ferguson. The rest of my family is even closer (a 90 year-old grandmother is 6 miles from the epicenter, my sis-in-law 7 miles, and my in-laws 8 miles). Can't hear gun fire here, but it's too close to home. We are also beginning to do all we can to get out.

 

[abysmul]

We're 9 miles to the north and west of Ferguson. The rest of my family is even closer (a 90 year-old grandmother is 6 miles from the epicenter, my sis-in-law 7 miles, and my in-laws 8 miles). Can't hear gun fire here, but it's too close to home. We are also beginning to do all we can to get out.

I wonder if there will be more "riots" or looting over this????

Woman Shot in Head in Missouri Town Roiled by Michael Brown Protests - NBC News

A woman was shot in the head in an apparent drive-by shooting early Wednesday in the Missouri town wracked by protests following the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer. St. Louis County Police spokesman Brian Schellman said four to five black males apparently carried out the shooting on Highmont Drive in Ferguson, Mo., and fled in a car.

So very sad.

 

[mpok1519]

Multiple eye witness accounts corroborate the same story accurately within hours of the shooting, that Michael was executed while surrendering. Only the cop's story, which was never even released until days after the shooting, indicates Michael was being a danger to anyone.

Sounds fishy to me. And with the track records of cops covering up these types of incidents, I will guess no real justice will be afforded to the victims.

 

[abysmul]

Multiple eye witness accounts corroborate the same story accurately within hours of the shooting, that Michael was executed while surrendering. Only the cop's story, which was never even released until days after the shooting, indicates Michael was being a danger to anyone.

Sounds fishy to me. And with the track records of cops covering up these types of incidents, I will guess no real justice will be afforded to the victims.

I'm sure the medical examiner's report will shed light on the subject.

 

[mpok1519]

I'm sure the medical examiner's report will shed light on the subject.

Let's hope.

 

[Lost Angel]

Who shot Michael Brown?

 

[.chrys.]

The name of the police officer who shot Michael Brown has not been released. In another eye-witness account (of a man who wanted to remain anonymous) reported this morning, three officers were present at the time of the shooting. The same witness stated that he had spoken previously in the day with Mr Brown, and that Mr Brown had been struggling with something and looking toward Jesus to help him not be angered.

Who knows if that account is accurate or trustworthy?

 

[.chrys.]

I wonder if there will be more "riots" or looting over this????

So far the rioting and looting hasn't stopped. It's calmed, but not stopped.

Only time will tell.

 

[HannahT]

The Officer's actions will be determined through the investigative process, and his innocence or guilt through the legal system. This mob mentality of looting stores and committing arson does nothing to help the situation, and in fact, makes the rioters look every bit as bad as they claim they're tired of being stereotyped as.

 

[Maynard Keenan]

Even if the cop shot the boy execution style, there is no cause to riot in the streets. We live by laws, if laws are broken, justice will be done. If justice fails, there is appeals. IF appeals fail, then there is plenty of time to destroy random peoples stuff then.

I pretty much agree with you here. Don't riot - and I don't think the people rioting are doing so out of a sense of justice, but are taking advantage of the situation. I've seen reports that a lot of those looting and such were "outsiders," not people who live in the immediate area, as opposed to the peaceful protestors who are the neighbors.

I do understand a desire to protest and even riot (which should NOT be done, yet) given a widespread feeling that justice is not done when police do wrong. Our police are far too militarized, and take too antagonistic a stance against the people. The witnesses' take on the initial approach wasn't asking them to get out of the road, but immediately yelling "get the <bad word> on the sidewalk." I know it's not wise to ignore someone with authority who is armed and can kill you with little provocation and likely get away with it, but if I'm approached in such a way I might do something other than meekly submit as well.