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Michael Brown Shooting

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newyorkguy said:
It might not be that difficult, assuming they get an indictment. Brown's companion's testimony won't be much help. The two women witnesses should provide a pretty solid narrative. I think it will boil down to: a) is Officer Wilson going to claim he shot Brown because Brown was charging him, b) can the forensics establish whether Brown was running or standing still when hit and c) did Wilson have the legal right to use deadly force on a man charging him if the man is unarmed.

As for b I think a lot depends on the bullets' path through Brown's body. If they're all straight through then it will indicate Brown was standing straight up when shot. If they're slightly angled I think that will indicate he was bent forward and running. But I still think the case depends on c. If an officer does have the right to shoot an unarmed man who is charging him than I don't see Wilson getting convicted.
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For "c", does a police officer have the authorization to shoot an unarmed assailant, if that person has already attacked him once, and attempted to gain possession of his gun?*

* according to the early police statement, and the report of a friend of the officer in question who was relaying the story the way the officer had explained it to him. Which, like it or not, gets more plausible with every bit of information that is found.
 
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dudalb said:
CNN stating shots being fired at the police.

This is escalating.

I think there is a very high chance that the National Guard will be called in before this is over.
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It was a hugely irresponsible editorial decision to release this information at night. They could have waited six hours.
 
The Central Scrutinizer said:
NO!!!! :mad:

Stop it!!! All of you!!! He was shot in the back. Every witness who went on Oprah swore to it. And if that many people witnessed something, it must be true. Unless you believe that there is some sort of conspiracy going on, and they're all lying.
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As I believe you know, no conspiracy theory is required.

Just a neighborhood where racial loyalty is strong, police aren't liked, and the normal things which always haunt witness testimony are playing out. Confirmation bias, emotion, filling in the gaps, media influence, hearing what someone else says they saw and seeking to match them... etc. etc. etc.

It's a tough hill to climb for anyone to see a young unarmed man of their race and who lives in their neighborhood shot dead in the middle of their street by a cop of another race, then watch that young man lay there dead and watch his blood flowing down the pavement... hear other neighbors murmuring about an "execution" and such, and somehow have the moral and mental clarity to say "No guys, that's not what I saw. Sad as it makes me to say it... it looked like the young man attacked the cop and was charging him for another attack when he was shot."

If someone wants to call that a "conspiracy" they can, but I just see it as human nature playing out in real time.

(I used your post as an opportunity to address this, I know you understand all this.)
 
Cylinder said:
Without the previous struggle, shooting someone who is simply approaching, even in an aggressive manner, is pretty borderline -- on its best day.
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If Brown is much bigger than Wilson, it's going to be hard to sell the idea that he should wait for Brown to reach him.

Does Ferguson issue the gun type tasers?

If they do, perhaps it was lost in the struggle at the vehicle?
 
newyorkguy said:
Is that what the police said? He was charging their guy? Was this a cop or a bull fighter. Six times? An unarmed man? I'm still not getting this.
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How is "unarmed" relevant? NOT "unarmed" = "harmless" if the assailant outweighs the assaulted by 100 lbs.

People comment as though they think cops should fight "fair". You wouldn't fight fair in their situation. If the definition of "fair fight" is "one you have a 50/50 chance of losing" then, given how often cops have to deal with civilians when those civilians are ready to be belligerent, the average cop wouldn't survive a week on the job if he offered every civilian a fair fight.
 
johnny karate said:
Feel free to present a scenario in which this witness is on the stand, and her testimony could be impeached by that claim.

Dorian Johnson could definitely be impeached as witness. He made an emphatic claim that Brown was shot in the back.

Tiffany Mitchell did not.
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The eyewitness testimonies that supposedly corroborate each other actually don't?
 
dudalb said:
I think somebody just showed his level of knowledge of law enforcement....
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Anyone who has had any sort of self defense training has been exposed to the Trueller Drill, even LE. Sure, it's specifically about an edged weapon, but Big Mike was a very large boy and there is no way a competent police officer would allow him to get close particularly considering their earlier struggle...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tueller_Drill
 
Cylinder said:
It was a hugely irresponsible editorial decision to release this information at night. They could have waited six hours.
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And this is different then what the police did with the Quik Save video?

IMHO both are cases of really irresponsible timing. In both cases, waiting until morning would not have hurt anything.
 
Skeptic Ginger said:
Tell me, do you run with your palms out? If you held your arms up surrendering, would the palms be facing the cop?
Now look at the autopsy drawing and location of the arm wounds.
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Not sure if anyone else has addressed this yet or not, but that is the standard image always used, and always shows the palms like that.

http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/08/18/us/SUB-JP-BROWN-2/SUB-JP-BROWN-2-master495.jpg

My belief and understanding is that those bullet holes could have happened as they are even if his arms were facing the officer head on, as in... not at all like the image shows, but that the medical examiner just does his or her best to represent what the wounds look like within the limitations of that standard drawing.

I am starting to think the "he started bumrushing Wilson" thing is seeming pretty credible. It would fit with the 6'4" 290+lb hormonal teen who thinks he is completely invincible, and that's the person I saw on the security tape too.
 
dudalb said:
And this is different then what the police did with the Quik Save video?

IMHO both are cases of really irresponsible timing. In both cases, waiting until morning would not have hurt anything.
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The video was released ante meridian, right? It was released in the presser with the name disclosure. If it was released at night with protesters lined up, then I very certainly criticize the timing.
 
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