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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Official Site
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St. Louis sports, news, business, entertainment, jobs, autos and real estate listings from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch & STLtoday.com
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Sat Sep 06, 2014 2:09 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Tue Aug 19, 2014 6:16 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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There has been a great deal of misinformation from all media sources. CNN has been a balance between Fox and MSNBC. From what I can tell the St. Louis Post Dispatch is one of the only sources to get it right time after time.
They have great photo galleries and inside information such as the community history with the Prosecutor McCullough.
The original story of the FBI saying there was 1 New Black Panther in the area has now been revised to say to was an anonymous communication believed to have come from the FBI. One media source said a woman and another cited a notorious advocate for killing cops.
The media does not know how to identify Malik Shabazz and attributions to his role have been confused and often wrong. There are more than one individuals named Malik Shabazz in the news. The one in Ferguson was New Black Panther, but he stepped down to form the Black Lawyers for Justice.
National Acton Network (NAN), Nation of Islam are two other groups there as well as several local ministries and groups from around St Louis. The real prolem according to Shabazz and other leaders is outside groups that have come in because they see an opportunity to loot and create a divide, Shabazz was successful one night in keeping peace in a area of Ferguson, but failed a second night. Shabazz asked peaceful protesters to stay home after dark last nght. |
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Tue Aug 19, 2014 6:38 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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The night's tense tally: 2 shot, 2 fires, 31 arrested
5 hours ago • FROM STAFF REPORTS
Updated at 3 a.m. with Capt. Johnson's news conference.
Two men were shot during the chaos of demonstrations late Monday and early today near West Florissant and Canfield, police confirmed. Officers weren't involved in the shootings. There was no immediate information on the identities or conditions of the victims.
Police also confirmed that 31 people were arrested, including some who had come from as far as New York and California.
In an emotional news conference around 2:30 a.m. in the area of the protests, Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ronald S. Johnson said the shootings demonstrate “a dangerous dynamic in the night” in which a few people determined to cause trouble can pull a whole crowd into it.
While he acknowledged there is currently no curfew in place, he urged legitimate protesters come our during the day from now on, rather than at night.
“We do not want to lose another life in this community,” said Johnson.
His comments came after a night punctuated by bottles thrown at police, two fires in the area, and scattered reports of gunfire.
“Our officers came under heavy fire,” said Johnson. He stressed that “not a single bullet was fired by officers.”
Johnson, who was put on charge of security in Ferguson last week under orders by Gov. Jay Nixon, appeared before a table that displayed two handguns that officers had confiscated in an unrelated incident during the night's strife, as well as a Molotov cocktail.
Johnson said the weapons were confiscated from “violent agitators” who were using other peaceful protests as “cover” to cause conflicts with police.
“This nation is watching each and every one of us,” said Johnson, who was visibly angry and emotional during the news conference. “I am not going to let the criminals that have come here from across this country, or live in this neighborhood, define this community.”
Johnson also lectured reporters at the scene, telling them they were interfering with police and putting themselves in danger by failing to immediately clear areas when asked to by officers. He also implored reporters to “not glamorize the acts of criminals.”
Some reporters at the news conference pushed back, saying he was infringing on their ability to do their jobs by asking them to stay separate from protesters.
3 a.m., Kevin McDermott
OUR EARLIER COVERAGE:
Updated at 1:00 a.m. with comments from Missouri Highway Patrol
After many tense moments, including the deployment of tear gas, cooler heads seemed to be prevailing in Ferguson on early Tuesday morning.
At 12:30 a.m. police had issued a final warning to clear West Florissant, but several small groups still remained in the street.
At least 12 people were arrested in a truck at Canfield. Two pistols were found on those arrested, and a Molotov cocktail was found in the bed of their truck.
Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri Highway Patrol defended all the arrests in an interview on CNN. "The people we arrested tonight, they weren't being peaceful," he said.
Johnson said that there were two shooting victims on the night, and that both victims were shot by members of the crowd.
Earlier story: 11:55 p.m.
When protesters defied police orders to leave the parking lot of the burned-out QuikTrip, police fired tear gas Monday night after repeated warnings.
Just before midnight, St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson told reporters shots had been fired at Canfield and told the media to go to the command center about a quarter-mile away.
The St. Louis County Police Chief, Jon Belmar, echoed Dotson, telling reporters to move back to the command post because of gunfire.
Steven Hawkins, the executive director of Amnesty International, saw the tear gas being fired near QuikTrip. He said the police reacted when protesters wouldn't leave.
He could not confirm whether protesters threw rocks at police, but said "even if a few rocks were thrown, it wouldn’t have made a difference. The police are in full body armor."
Shortly before midnight, police increased their efforts to clear some areas. They used loudspeakers to warn: "You need to disperse immediately. If you are credentialed media, move to your designated area. Do it now."
11:50 p.m, Steve Giegerich, Ken Leiser
Protests escalated again late Monday night as police fired tear gas at protesters who defied police by refusing orders to disperse, instead gathering in groups near the QuikTrip and other Ferguson spots.
Police fired at least three tear gas volleys near the QuikTrip as emergency vehicles sped to the scene. Police also used tear gas to break up protesters near West Florissant and Northwoods Estates.
"They're gassing our kids," one protester shouted.
In front of the McDonald's restaurant, a tactical united removed a driver from his car at gunpoint. There was no immediate word on why.
Some protesters also tipped over portable toilets and dragged them into the streets.
11:15 p.m, Steve Giegerich, Ken Leiser, Valerie Hahn
Tear gas fired again in Ferguson
Police fired tear gas on protesters near the QuikTrip late Monday night after they defied officers by gathering and refusing to disperse.
Police also forced a man out of his car at gunpoint about the same time they were firing tear gas.
The standoff at the burned-out convenience store had gone on for more than 20 minutes before the tear gas was deployed.
11:05 p.m. Steve Giegerich
Protesters defied police by gathering in large groups at several spots Monday night, including near the burned out QuikTrip and at West Florissant and Northwind Estates.
Police used a loudspeaker near the QuikTrip and warned about 100 protesters, "If you are standing around on the QuikTrip, you may be subject to arrest."
At several points during the night, police warned off protesters by beating the pavement with their night sticks.
Police made some arrests during the night but no official tallies were released. Just before 11 p.m., reporters estimated that the number of protesters was down to about 100.
Valerie Hahn, Ken Leiser, Steve Giegerich, 10:45 p.m.
A peaceful night took a precarious turn just before 10 p.m. Monday in Ferguson as protesters threw bottles at police, who responded with orders for protesters to clear the streets and high-pitched sound cannons blaring.
Police ordered protesters, "Back off now!" and told them to clear the streets immediately.
Things turned tense when a group of protesters marched toward a police line and stopped, defying the night-long orders for all protesters to keep moving. Police put on their helmets and seemed prepared for a confrontation.
An armored vehicle moved down the street trying to clear the crowd, and some pastors in the street stood with their arms locked trying to restore peace. They helped to move protesters away from the police line.
Pastor Michael McBride said he helped calm the protester before police deployed tear gas by talking to the protesters.
"We put our arms around them and whispered that we love them," he said.
10:10 p.m, Steve Giegerich, Valerie Hahn
Shools will stay closed all week
The Ferguson-Florissant School District announced Monday night that its schools would stay closed for the rest of the week.
"We believe that closing schools for the rest of this week will allow needed time for peace and stability to be restored to our community," the district said in a statement.
The district said it would hold the first day of classes on Monday, Aug. 25.
9:10 p.m. Monday, staff
As darkness fell Monday night, police increased their effort to keep protesters moving -- politely telling protesters they needed to keep moving.
One protester asked pointedly "Did they tell the people supporting the cop downtown to keep moving?" referring to a Sunday evening gathering in support of Officer Darren Wilson.
But the crowd, smaller than Sunday night, was staying on the sidewalk and obeying officers' orders to keep moving. At 9 p.m., the protests remained peaceful.
One protester was arrested in front of the McDonald's after 9 p.m., for failure to disperse, police said. When the officers walked him off, a group of protesters followed along.
Carmelita Wiliams came from Dellwood to join the protests. She said she plans to be out for as many nights as it takes.
"If one person is left, I want to be with that person," she said.
Another protester, Allysha Hamber, 42, asked how her sons can stand fight for America, "but I can't stand on sidewalk and protest?"
In a related development, a federal judge Monday night denied a motion by the American Civil Liberties Union for a temporary restraining order to stop police from requiring people to keep moving on sidewalks and thoroughfares in Ferguson unless they're gathered in a designated protest area.
8:20 p.m. Monday Steve Giegerich, Valerie Hahn, and Margaret Gillerman.
Press Club condemns treatment of journalists in Ferguson
The Press Club of Metropolitan St. Louis on Monday condemned the treatment of journalists covering the Ferguson crisis and said they should be able to freely cover the news.
"We strongly condemn the manhandling and disrespect shown to our colleagues by authorities during the unfolding crisis in Ferguson, Mo.," the group said in a statement. "We believe these actions should cease, and that those responsible for maintaining order in Ferguson establish and enforce rules to assure the safety of our journalistic colleagues."
8 p.m, Margaret Gillerman
Police kept protesters on the move Monday night, telling anyone who stopped in a parking lot or street to keep moving.
Reporters were included in the keep-moving mandate by police, who shooed them off the parking lot at the McDonald's restaurant. Police officers walking the scene carried riot gear and big sticks
Highway Patrol troopers on the scene had zip ties -- which are used as handcuffs -- attached to their belts. They told motorists driving through the area to be careful.
Some protesters bought roses and bottled water from the Family Dollar store, then handed the roses out to peaceful demonstrators.
Valerie Hahn, Steve Giegerich, 7:40 p.m. Monday
Authorities prepare for another night of protests
Authorities in charge of security in Ferguson are preparing for another night of protests.
It comes after a day that saw the arrest of another journalist, this one captured on video. Meanwhile, Archbishop Robert Carlson has announced a special Mass this week for the people of Ferguson.
"We will not allow vandals, criminal elements to impact the safety and security of this community," Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ronald S. Johnson said during a brief press conference Monday afternoon. "We will not allow those elements disrupt, impact, the soul of this community."
Johnson introduced Missouri National Guard Brig. Gen. Gregory Mason, who will oversee the Missouri National Guard's efforts in the area. They were called in by the governor early Monday morning after another night of protests that turned violent.
Mason spoke briefly before a police chaplain said a short prayer at the microphones.
"We have well-trained and well-seasoned soldiers assigned to the command post here," Mason said. "Our soldiers have that as their main mission and they are well-equipped."
Authorities are establishing an "organized protest zone" at Ferguson Road and West Florissant Avenue, St. Louis County police said. West Florissant was being closed to traffic. Authorities said the media would have access through road blocks.
Shortly after media were told of the "organized protest zone," authorities began setting up concrete highway barriers at checkpoints near the protest zone.
A crowd of several hundred protesters gathered at the intersection, and faced off a few feet from about 40 police officers and Missouri Highway Patrol troopers. One of the officers wore body armor, but the others were in everyday gear. The tense moment eventually eased.
In other developments today:
• The arrest of a photographer for Getty Images during the Ferguson protests was captured on video and posted online today.
The video shows Getty photographer Scott Olson being arrested by several officers and talking to the videographer as it happens.
"I'm being arrested because they said the media is required to be in a certain area," he says to the camera. Another officer can be heard off-camera telling the videographer, "Keep moving, keep moving, keep moving."
The Instagram video was posted by New York-based freelance journalist Amy K. Nelson.
-Staff, 5:25 p.m.
Restrictions on news helicopters in Ferguson extended
The Federal Aviation Administration extended flight restrictions for news helicopters over Ferguson through Sunday. In its order, the agency cited the reason as "to provide a safe environment for law enforcement activities."
Staff, 6:20 p.m. Monday
Obama on Ferguson: 'Let's seek to heal rather than wound each other'
President Barack Obama decried the violence and looting of some protesters in Ferguson and called for protests to be peaceful.
"We have all seen images of protesters and law enforcement in the streets. It’s clear that the vast majority of people are peacefully protesting. What’s also clear is that a small minority of individuals are not," he said. "While I understand the passions and the anger that arise over the death of Michael Brown, giving into that anger by looting or carrying guns, and even attacking the police only serves to raise tensions and stir chaos. It undermines rather than advancing justice."
Obama added: "Let's seek to heal rather than wound each other."
He also reiterated the right for people to peacefully protest without undo restrictions from authorities and said that constitutional rights must be vigilantly protected.
"There is no excuse for excessive force by police," he said.
Taking a two-day break from summer vacation, Obama huddled with top advisers at the White House Monday before speaking to the nation on developments in both Iraq and Ferguson, two trouble spots where Obama has ordered his administration to intervene.
Attorney General Eric Holder will travel to Ferguson on Wednesday, and Obama promised work "on the ground" from those in the Justice Department conducting a separate, independent civil rights investigation into Michael Brown's death. Sens. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and Roy Blunt, R-Mo., plan to join him.
Asked about Nixon's activation of the Missouri National Guard, Obama said he had expressed an interest in making sure the National Guard was used in a limited and appropriate way.
"I spoke to Gov. Nixon about this, expressed an interest in making sure that if in fact the National Guard is used, it is used in a limited an appropriate way. he described the support role that they going to be providing to law enforcement," he said. "And I'll be watching over the next several days to assess whether, in fact, it's helping rather than hindering progress in Ferguson."
Holder said later Monday that more than 40 FBI agents continued their canvassing Monday of the neighborhood where Michael Brown was shot. As a result, they've conducted several more interviews. He also ordered an additional autopsy Monday.
He asked for patience as they complete their work, and promised integrity in the investigation.
"This is a critical step in restoring trust between law enforcement and the community, not just in Ferguson, but beyond," he said in a statement. He also called for an end to violence in Ferguson and said the selective release of sensitive information so far in this case has been troubling.
- Staff and The Associated Press, 5:15 p.m. Monday.
• • •
New poll shows sharp racial, ideological divisions following Ferguson shooting death
WASHINGTON • A just-released Pew Research Center poll shows sharp divides between blacks and whites over the police shooting death of Michael Brown and what it means for race relations in America.
The poll of 1,000 adults was taken Thursday through Sunday. It showed that blacks (80 percent) are more than twice as likely as whites (37 percent) to believe the case raises important issues about race.
It also said that while 65 percent of blacks believe police response has gone "too far," only 33 percent of whites say so. Some 32 percent of whites say it has been about right, and 35 percent say they don't know. About 20 percent of blacks say the police response has been about right, with 15 percent saying they didn't know.
There are also ideological divisions. While 68 percent of Democrats say the 18-year-old Brown's killing and the aftermath raises important issues about race, 22 percent of Republicans and 40 percent of independents do.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.
- Chuck Raasch, 5 p.m. Monday
• • •
Attorneys sue for police records of shooting
An attorneys' group is suing to try to get police records about the fatal shooting of Michael Brown.
The lawsuit filed Monday by the National Bar Association contends the Ferguson Police Department is in violation of the state open-records law for not releasing reports, videos and photos about the Aug. 9 shooting. It also seeks records related to Darren Wilson, the officer who shot Brown.
The National Bar Association calls itself "the nation's oldest and largest association of African American lawyers and judges." Benjamin Crump, the attorney who has emerged as the spokesman for the Brown family since the shooting, is the Association's vice-president for finance.
Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson has said everything pertaining to the investigation of Brown's shooting is being handled by the St. Louis County Police Department.
But Jackson did release the officer's name last week, as well as police reports and surveillance video from a convenience store robbery in which Brown was a suspect.
- AP, 6 p.m.
• • •
Marchers demanding to get in Nixon's satellite office in downtown St. Louis
Security officers blocked the front door of the Wainwright building downtown as a crowd marching with the Organization of Black Struggle attempted to get into Gov. Jay Nixon's office this afternoon. They demanded a toning down of police tactics in Ferguson.
The group began marching to Nixon's satellite office in downtown St. Louis shortly after 3 p.m. after starting out from at Kiener Plaza, saying the activation of the National Guard will escalate the situation. They want the removal of Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson, the arrest of Darren Wilson, the officer who shot and killed Michael Brown, as well as the appointment of a special investigator.
"Hey-hey, ho-ho, National Guard has got to go!" the group shouted. An officer told the crowd that Nixon was not inside the building.
About 75 protesters were sitting outside of the building as several officers on bike patrol monitored the crowd. Police put about eight people in plastic and metal cuffs, and the crowd began to move back to Kiener Plaza.
One of those arrested was Hedy Epstein, a 90-year-old Holocaust survivor and political activist.
She wore a black T-shirt that read, "Stay Human." She was one of several who led the march of protesters with a banner that, in part, read, don't shoot.
She walked the half block from Kiener Plaza to the state building and was in the front line of people who stood by the door leading. She was one of eight who were led away by police for failure to disperse from the front door of the building.
She told The Nation after her release, "I've been doing this since I was a teenager. I didn't think I would have to do it when I was 90."
-Nancy Cambria, 4:10 p.m.
• • •
Governor: No curfew tonight in Ferguson; National Guard will protect police command center
Gov. Jay Nixon said there will be no curfew tonight in Ferguson, where a rotating series of official responses to protests have failed to end looting and violence late at night.
The Missouri National Guard, called in early Monday by Nixon to help keep order in Ferguson, will be used to protect the police command center, the governor's office said.
Nixon said the guard's role will be limited to protecting the command center in the Westfall shopping center, formerly Northland, on West Florissant. Police officials said the command center was the destination of protesters who were met with tear gas Sunday evening.
"The Guard will concentrate its resources on carrying out this limited mission," Nixon said in a statement.
He also said, "I join the people of Ferguson, and all Missourians, in strongly condemning the violent acts we saw (Sunday) night, including the firing upon law enforcement officers, the shooting of a civilian, the throwing of Molotov cocktails, looting and a coordinated attempt to overrun the unified Command Center.
"We are all frustrated and looking for justice to be achieved regarding the shooting death of Michael Brown. As the dual investigations continue into what happened nine days ago at Canfield Green, we must defend Ferguson from these violent interlopers so that the peaceful protests can operate in peace and the search for answers and justice can continue.”
- Staff, 12:40 p.m. Monday
• • •
National Guard called in to help restore order
Gov. Jay Nixon announced early Monday morning that he was activating the National Guard to help restore order in Ferguson after a week of protests that have resulted in looting and violence some nights.
"Given these deliberate, coordinated and intensifying violent attacks on lives and property in Ferguson, I am directing the highly capable men and women of the Missouri National Guard to assist Colonel Ron Replogle and the Unified Command in restoring peace and order to this community.” the governor's executive order said.
At his press conference after another night of violent clashes with protesters, Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ronald S. Johnson said new security steps were planned but declined to detail them. In response to one of the few questions that were allowed, he said those plans were still in flux but did not include bringing in National Guard troops. But Nixon announced a short time later he would bring in those troops.
Governors have mustered National Guard soldiers to the St. Louis area for floods, heat waves and even a heavy snowstorm, but not street violence, at least not since World War II. In April 1968, then-Gov. Warren E. Hearnes sent more than 1,500 National Guard soldiers to Kansas City to assist police during a riot that broke out shortly after the murder of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.
Johnson said the additional measures being put in place had been formulated in talks between himself, Nixon, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar, St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson and Replogle, who is in charge of the Highway Patrol.
Johnson, who was put in control of security on the North County city's streets last week, blamed a small group of agitators for the night's violence that included shootings, molotov cocktails and lootings. He said he believed those who instigated the violence came to what had been a peaceful protest determined to "provoke a response."
Raw Video: Sunday night protests in Ferguson
Other law enforcement authorities said three people had been injured in shootings during the night. None of the shootings involved officers, authorities said. Police said seven or eight people were arrested on charges of failing to disperse.
Johnson detailed a night of violence that began about 8:25 with a shooting among the protesters. Next, he said, shots were fired at officers, Molotov cocktails thrown at police and businesses were looted.
At one point, he said, a McDonald's was overrun by protesters and the workers inside had to take shelter.
"Based on these conditions, I had no alternative but to elevate our response," Johnson said, referring to officers' push to clear the streets hours before the midnight curfew with measures that included the use of tear gas.
Replogle, interviewed about 2:30 a.m. on CNN, said of the decision to call in the National Guard: "We need some help."
He said larger and larger groups of protesters have been showing up on the streets of Ferguson since the fatal shooting last weekend of Michael Brown, 18, by a Ferguson police officer.
Replogle said the protesters who are resorting to violence "aren't residents of this city, we know that."
Authorities closed a one-half-mile stretch of West Florissant Avenue from Chambers Road on the north to Woodstock Road on the south "until further notice," but reopened it later this morning. Woodstock is just north of Lucas and Hunt Road. The gutted QuikTrip is nearly in the middle of the closed stretch.
- Staff, updated 11:45 a.m. Monday.
• • •
Two protesters arrested outside McDonald's
At about 2:30 p.m. police arrested two people who refused to keep moving in front of the McDonald's on West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson. They had been part of a large crowd of several dozen people who had been chanting and holding their hands up as they looped along the sidewalk, across the street along the sidewalk on the other side and back across to the McDonald's.
No protesters were standing in the street today. Cops have been making people hanging off of cars or hanging out of them get back inside.
- Paul Hampel, 3 p.m. Monday
• • •
Nation of Islam calls for demonstrators to leave Ferguson by sunset; groups decry use of National Guard
A representative of the Nation of Islam stood with other community organizers today in front of the police department and said they would be encouraging demonstrators to leave the area by sunset.
“We don't want a repeat of what happened last night,” said Akbar Muhammad, along with others, including representatives from the Universal African Peoples Organization and Black Lawyers for Justice at a press conference early this afternoon.
The leaders also said they disagreed with Gov. Jay Nixon's calling in of the Missouri National Guard, saying they feared it would make the situation worse instead of curbing violence that has occurred since the death of Michael Brown on Aug. 9.
Earlier, the group had asked demonstrators to abide the curfew imposed by police. Now, it's best if people leave by dark, leaders said.
The groups are in midst of planning their own demonstration. A time and location wasn't immediately announced, but organizers said they wanted to avoid the area of West Florissant Avenue, where all the chaos has occurred.
The Organization for Black Struggle also today decried the use of National Guard troops in Ferguson and called for an immediate de-escalation of law enforcement tactics.
“After a brief respite last week, police last night turned to violence again rather than community policing,” the group said in a statement. “The indiscriminate use of tear gas and rubber bullets, without warning, is unacceptable! The decision to call up the National Guard is only another step toward escalation of the situation.”
Members of the civil rights group said they will try to meet today with Gov. Jay Nixon.
-Lilly Fowler and Michael Sorkin, 1:45 p.m. Monday
• • •
Burned-out QuikTrip now off-limits
The burned-out QuikTrip that has become one of the main gathering points for protesters in Ferguson was put off-limits by police on Monday.
Law enforcement officers told protesters and reporters who stopped at the store's parking lot they needed to keep moving.
The store, which was burned in the riots on Aug. 10, has become a focal point of the unrest in Ferguson since Michael Brown, 18, was shot and killed by a police officer on Aug. 9.
- Paul Hampel and Laurie Skrivan, 12:15 p.m. Monday
• • •
Private autopsy shows Brown shot 6 times; distance from officer who fired unclear
A private autopsy requested by the family of Michael Brown showed he was shot at least six times, including a fatal shot to the skull, Dr. Michael M. Baden announced at a press conference Monday morning.
All bullets entered the front of his body; two shots hit Brown’s head and four hit his right arm. Some of the bullets caused multiple wounds as they entered, exited and re-entered parts of Brown's body, including his upper torso. One bullet entered near Brown's right eye and exited near his jawline before entering Brown's right shoulder, according to the private autopsy.
The St. Louis County medical examiner's office is releasing little information about their autopsy, conducted previously. Brown was shot multiple times and died of wounds to the head and chest, said Suzanne McCune, forensic administrator for the St. Louis County medical examiner's office. She would not release any toxicological information.
The medical examiner has sent its autopsy report regarding Brown’s death, including his toxicology screening, to St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch, McCune said.
Baden said he determined in the private autopsy that all of the shots were survivable except one to the top of Brown's head that went into his brain.
The autopsy did not shed much light on how far Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson was from Brown when he shot the unarmed man. Because there was no gunshot residue on the body, it appears the muzzle of the gun was at least one or two feet away, Baden said. "It could have been 30 feet away," Dr. Baden says.
He was unable to examine Brown's clothing for gunshot residue.
Baden also said the number of gunshot wounds Brown sustained could have been released by authorities immediately. Baden said the family has a right to know this information and releasing it "calms community and family concerns over a coverup."
Baden said Dr. Mary Case, the chief medical examiner of St. Louis County, is "a very excellent forensic pathologist, and I'm sure her work will turn out to be very excellent when it's released. But it hasn't been released yet and the family wants to know."
Baden said letting the family know that a bullet wound to the brain causes immediate loss of consciousness can be helpful to the grieving family in trying times. He said it appears Brown did not suffer.
Read more here.
- Staff, 10:30 a.m. Monday
• • •
City of Ferguson hires PR help
The City of Ferguson has hired a Chesterfield-based public relations firm to handle the crush of media requests.
The 21,000 person city, which has been plunged into a crisis after the fatal shooting death of Michael Brown, on Monday began directing all questions to Common Ground PR. The PR firm includes a specialty in "crisis management."
"Common Ground Public Relations helps organizations prepare and respond to crises affecting their operations as well as their reputation," the company's website says. "We believe that safeguarding a company’s reputation and its bottom line requires crisis-related public relations strategies that include media relations, social and online outreach, community outreach and third-party collaborations. We can help with preparation, training, in-the-midst support, and the re-establishment of trust after the storm."
-Nick Pistor, 2:30 p.m. Monday
• • •
More than a dozen injured during Sunday evening protests
SSM DePaul Health Center treated 12 people following the Ferguson demonstrations Sunday, the most injuries any hospital has reported during one night since the protests began.
Two gunshot victims were treated and released Sunday night at DePaul, Spokeswoman Jamie Sherman said. Another 10 patients were treated for injuries sustained after a high-speed chase with police.
Sherman said it's unclear if all 10 individuals were in the same vehicle.
Four remained at the hospital as of Monday morning. Their conditions were not available, but the hospital said they were stable.
Getting to those injured has become difficult for first responders, and has caused a shift in strategy, Chris Cebollero, chief of EMS for Christian Hospital, said.
His crews now park in “staging areas” where they wait for the injured to be brought to them.
“Early on we had some challenges with folks attacking the ambulance and we needed to make sure that our folks stayed safe,” Cebollero said.
Now the ambulance crews have become part of incident command alongside officers. At least one ambulance is on site continuously after about 6 p.m., Cebollero said.
The majority of injuries being treated by Cebollero's crews are not life-threatening, he said. There was a man beaten unconscious early on, but since then Cebollero said most individuals are being treated at the scene and then released from care.
It seems that those with more serious injuries are getting to the hospitals on their own, he said.
Read more here.
- Samantha Liss, noon Monday
• • •
Cleanup begins as morning light reveals looted stores
By 6 o'clock this morning, traffic was moving in front of the looted Dellwood Market and the McDonalds restaurant, where broken windows were not yet cleaned up or boarded up. Employees of the restaurant began showing up before dawn and had the restaurant open for business by 6:30 a.m.
Some protesters were on the scene, including Mauricelm-Lei Millere, 41, of Washington, D.C. He said he is with the New Black Panther Party.
Millere said any trouble was started by "provocateurs who are trying to destroy this."
Malik Rhasan, 42, of Atlanta, said he came to Ferguson under the belief that the St. Louis suburb was a town on fire. "I was proud of the youth last night, and very disappointed by the police," Rhasan said.
Mayor Reggie Jones of Dellwood said the market on Chambers Road wasn't the only city business hit; he's checking a pizza store and auto parts store.
"Our city isn't included in this, but we've been dragged into it because we are so close," he said.
Virgil Smith, 48, of Florissant was driving by this morning when he saw the broken storefront window at Rehoboth Please delete me!, at 9944 West Florissant Avenue. He stopped and was helping sweep up the glass, saying he felt he needed to do something.
"At least in Iraq you know who enemy is," said Smith, who spent 20 years in the Air Force. "Here you never know. They are all blended in with the community."
The owner, Idowu Ajibola, was doing an inventory to see what was swiped. They took some pain medication and I need to die!, he said. They also stole hair products.
To replace the glass will probably cost $6,000, Ajibola says, "and what they took is probably just 10 percent of that."
He figures they didn't get more because he had turned off all the security lights inside the store when the rioting began and the looters couldn't see what was inside, the owner said.
Police are looking for blood inside the Please delete me! to try to find the culprits through DNA.
- Kim Bell, 6:40 a.m. Monday
• • •
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Tue Aug 19, 2014 7:15 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Tue Aug 19, 2014 6:45 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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St. Louis prosecutor has faced controversy for decades
August 16, 2014 2:30 am • By Nicholas J.C. Pistor npistor@post-dispatch.com > 314-436-2239 and Joe Holleman jholleman@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8254
ST. LOUIS • Robert McCulloch isn’t known to back down.
For decades, the St. Louis County prosecutor has been in the spotlight for everything ranging from his prosecution of Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose to questions about his deep police roots. And for decades county voters have kept him in office.
On Friday, McCulloch faced calls from political foes to step aside in the investigation of the fatal shooting death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown at the hand of a white police officer. State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed wrote a letter to McCulloch saying prior prosecutorial decisions and his heavy support of Steve Stenger in his defeat of St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley in this month’s Democratic primary scarred the black community.
And U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, assailed McCulloch on Friday night on a visit to Ferguson: “We don’t have any confidence in the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney’s office.” He went on to accuse McCulloch of attempting to influence a potential jury by the release this morning of the robbery video at the same time the officer’s name was released.
“Bob McCulloch tried to taint the jury pool by the stunt he pulled today. I have no faith in him, but I do trust the FBI and the justice department.”
McCulloch, who as a teenager lost a leg to cancer, made it his career ambition to become a prosecutor.
“I couldn’t become a policeman, so being county prosecutor is the next best thing,” McCulloch once told the Post-Dispatch.
McCulloch took office in 1991. His first big test came a few months later with the infamous Riverport Riot when a Guns N’ Roses concert ended with injuries to 40 concertgoers and 25 police officers.
McCulloch charged Axl Rose, the rock band’s front man, with misdemeanor assault and property damage alleging that Rose hit a security guard, hurt three concertgoers and trashed a dressing room. He then pursued Rose across the country seeking to enforce an arrest warrant on the charges, saying Rose “is easy to find …”Wherever he goes, we’ll be waiting for him. If he wants to cancel his whole schedule, fine. If he leaves the country, we’ll notify Customs to get him when he comes back.
Rose ended up surrendering after a public uproar and entered a plea agreement.
In 2001, two undercover drug officers from Dellwood shot and killed two men on the parking lot of a Jack in the Box in north St. Louis County. The officers said the suspects, who had prior felony convictions for drug and assault offenses, tried to escape arrest and then drove toward the officers.
A subsequent federal investigation showed that the men were unarmed and that their car had not moved forward when the officers fired 21 shots and killed the suspects, Earl Murray and Ronald Beasley. The probe, however, also concluded that because the officers feared for their safety, the shootings were justified.
McCulloch didn’t prosecute the officers. He specifically drew the ire of defense lawyers and protesters, who had been holding demonstrations and threatened to block Highway 40,when he said of Murray and Beasley, “These guys were bums.”
After being criticized, McCulloch refused to back down, saying, “The print media and self-anointed activists have been portraying the two gentlemen as folk heroes and have been vilifying the police. I think it is important for the public to know that these two and others like them for years have spread destruction in the community dealing crack cocaine and heroin.”
Nasheed pointed to the Jack in the Box case in her letter: “Critically important, you must consider the potential consequences if you choose to not seek a special prosecutor. If you should decide to not indict this police officer, the rioting we witnessed this past week will seem like a picnic compared to the havoc that will likely occur, because the black community will never accept that there was an impartial investigation from your office.”
McCulloch’s opponents also point to his familial ties to law enforcement. McCulloch’s father, brother, nephew and cousin all served with St. Louis police; his mother was a clerk there.
McCulloch was 12 when his father, St. Louis police officer Paul McCulloch, was shot and killed July 2, 1964, in a gun battle with a kidnapper in the 2100 block of Dickson Street at the former Pruitt-Igoe public-housing complex. Witnesses said Paul McCulloch had just rounded the corner responding to the call when he was shot in the head by a fleeing kidnapper, Eddie Glenn.
An hour before, Glenn had kidnapped a woman, 20, in her car in front of her parents’ store, in the 800 block of North Leffingwell Avenue, and forced her to drive around. A witness reported the kidnapping. Another officer saw the car and stopped it near 20th and O’Fallon streets. Glenn fired at the other officer and fled into the housing complex, quickly encountering McCulloch. The woman was unharmed.
Glenn was found guilty one year later in St. Louis Circuit Court and sentenced to die in the state gas chamber, but the Missouri Supreme Court reduced the sentence to life in prison. Paul McCulloch, 37, had joined the city police department in 1949 and was a canine officer when he was killed.
His father’s death was a major theme for McCulloch’s campaign ads that first propelled him to office. He is running unopposed for reelection in November.
Tim O’Neil of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
Follow reporter Nick Pistor on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nickpistor |
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Tue Aug 19, 2014 7:12 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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August 18, 2014]
U.S. House in June rejected attempt to pare military equipment to local police forces [St. Louis Post-Dispatch :: ]
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Aug. 18--WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives in June rejected a proposal to rein in a program to send excess military equipment to local police departments that has been criticized in the police response to demonstrations in Ferguson.
Five of six members of the House from the St. Louis area voted against the amendment to a Pentagon budget bill, which failed by a vote of 355-62. Here is an analysis by the independent campaign donations oversight group Maplight of the vote, and of defense-industry donations to members of the House.
Among the members voting against it were Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, who has been among the most vocal critics of what he calls a "militarized" police response in the aftermath of the Aug. 9 police shooting death of Michael Brown, 18.
"The scenes that we saw in Ferguson, Missouri, this past week, with a militarized police force facing down innocent protesters with sniper rifles and machine guns is totally unacceptable in America," Clay told CNN on Sunday.
On Monday, asked about his June vote against limiting the program, Clay responded with this statement: "Over 350 members of Congress voted against Mr. Grayson's amendment. I don't regret the vote. But I strongly object to a tactical police unit pointing military sniper rifles and automatic weapons at my unnamed constituents who were peacefully exercising their constitutional rights." Clay also said he would "be meeting personally with Secretary of Defense (Chuck) Hagel to discuss over militarization of local police and my very serious concerns about the transfer of surplus military equipment to local law enforcement agencies." Clay Monday morning briefed Democratic House colleagues in a conference call, and the military transfer program came up, according to a Clay spokesman.
Grayson's amendment would have prohibited the Pentagon from transferring to local police aircraft, including unmanned aircraft; armored vehicles, grenade launchers, silencers, toxicological agents, ballistic missiles, rockets, torpedoes, bombs, mines or nuclear weapons.
"These weapons have no place on our streets regardless of who may be deploying them," Grayson said before the June 19 vote.
Citing federal data, the Post-Dispatch reported last week that various police agencies in St. Louis County received 12 5.56mm rifles and six .45-caliber pistols between Aug. 2, 2010, and Feb. 13, 2013 though what is called the 1033 program. County agencies also received 15 "reflex" gun sights, four night vision devices and three night sights, as well as a $10,000 explosive ordnance robot, three helicopters, seven Humvees and three cargo trailers. According to federal data, one helicopter alone was originally worth $200,000.
Nationally, $4.3 billion in surplus military equipment has been transferred to local police agencies.
The only St. Louis-area member of the House to vote for the Grayson amendment was Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville.
The Illinois congressman released the following statement Monday: "As troops return home from Iraq and Afghanistan, it makes sense to transfer certain kinds of surplus equipment to cash-strapped local emergency responders who can be trained to use these resources responsibly. Things like ballistic helmets and vests, lifesaving equipment and ambulances, pick-up trucks, radios, computers and other communications equipment shouldn't go to waste when the military no longer needs them. But other items, like drones, bombs and rockets covered under the Grayson amendment, meet few local law enforcement needs. Congress should carefully review the kinds of equipment made available under DOD transfer programs." Reps. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth; Bill Enyart, D-Belleville; and Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, voted against the Grayson amendment.
"I support our law enforcement and believe the local police should be able to decide what resources they need to keep the public and themselves safe," Wagner said Monday in a statement issued by her office. "As a society, we should continue to have a healthy debate about when and how it is appropriate to use such tactics." Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who has also questioned the militarization of police during the Ferguson crisis, is "currently looking at ideas for how to limit the transfer of military equipment to local police departments, and to strengthen oversight over such transfers when they do occur," her spokesman, John LaBombard, said Monday.
He said he expects a Homeland Security subcommittee that McCaskill chairs will look into the program when Congress returns in September, and possible legislation could ensue.
McCaskill briefed Attorney General Eric Holder on the conditions in Ferguson Sunday night and did the same Monday morning with White House officials, LaBombard said.
"Her takeway is simply that the federal piece of this investigation is going to be critically important," LaBombard said.
___ (c)2014 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Visit the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at www.stltoday.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |
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Tue Aug 19, 2014 7:20 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Police, protesters clash again Sunday night
August 18, 2014 6:45 am • By JOE HOLLEMAN jholleman@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8254 AND JESSE BOGAN jbogan@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8225
FERGUSON • Cassandra Roberts said she just wanted to show her solidarity with protesters.
“It seemed like after last night, things were more peaceful,” Roberts said.
Raw Video: Sunday night protests in Ferguson
But on Sunday night, the Richmond Heights resident found herself covered in tear gas as she knelt in the middle of West Florissant Avenue while police clashed with protest marchers.
A member of the crowd grabbed Roberts, 32, and helped her to the nearby McDonald’s restaurant, where workers bathed her face in milk.
“I knelt down because I trusted them,” she said of police, “because they’re not supposed to hurt me. I thought it was a symbol of surrender.”
Roberts said she only remembers “things” hitting the ground around her and then exploding, before releasing the gas.
“It felt like my eyes got knocked out of my head,” she said. “My nose was running and I couldn’t breathe.”
Police at the scene had no immediate comment on what touched off the exchange with demonstrators. But on Twitter, the St. Louis County police reported that someone had thrown a Molotov cocktail at police at an undisclosed location sometime after 9 p.m. County officials added that shots had been fired at Solway Avenue and West Florissant.
Police began firing tear gas at protesters in Ferguson shortly after 9 p.m., causing some to flee for safety.
The gas was fired at the southern end of the protest area, near Solway.
Protesters began marching south on West Florissant Avenue toward Lucas and Hunt Road.
Police made their way north on West Florissant to Canfield Drive. Many officers wore riot gear and gas masks.
Demonstrators laid bricks on West Florissant in the path of police. Officers continued to push north toward the QuikTrip station that was burned during the first night of looting and fire.
Officers ordered protesters to “disperse from the area immediately” and warned that those who didn’t comply “are subject to arrest.”
Protesters shot off aerial fireworks in the area. Police ordered television news photographers to turn off their lights. About 10 to 15 minutes into the march, police began firing tear gas.
Some of the tear gas canisters landed in nearby neighborhoods.
“This is terrible,” said George Clay, 41, who lives on Ellison Drive near Solway Avenue. “It is making it bad for people just trying to get to work.”
In the wake of demonstrations and looting, Ferguson was subject to a midnight curfew for the second night in a row. As the curfew neared, police vehicles began moving through the area and officers were ordering people to go home again.
Firefighters responded to a fire at the Dellwood Market near Chambers Road and Lakemoor Drive after 10:30 p.m. The store appeared to have been broken into and looted. Three people were arrested near the scene. No further details were available.
Earlier in the night, demonstrator Terrence Moore warned that police should not expect crowds to get smaller.
“They were hoping, I guess, that this would dissipate,” Moore said. “But it won’t. We all know that problems exist, and then when something like this (Michael Brown’s killing), everyone wonders why. We’ll be here until we get an explanation delivered with a level of respect.”
At nightfall, people were openly wondering what would unfold.
“It’s unpredictable now because tensions are high,” said Pedro Smith, 21, of Dellwood, watching from the sidelines. “It’s hard to tell what the night is going to hold.”
Protesters vowed more intense events if there isn’t an indictment against the officer who shot Michael Brown. One wore a T-shirt that read: “Stand for something fall for nothing.”
“I have never seen anything like this before, a whole neighborhood coming together today,” said Brittany Watson, 22, of Nashville, Tenn. She was with a group called “the Brown justice chasers.”
Ken Leiser is the transportation writer at the Post-Dispatch. Read his Along for the Ride column online and every Sunday in the newspaper. |
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Tue Aug 19, 2014 7:32 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Ferguson protest area subdued at nightfall tonight
1 hour ago • By Kevin McDermott
Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster meets with people on West Florissant Avenue Tuesday night in Ferguson. Huy Mach photo hmach@post-dispatch.com
Monday arrests and protests in Fergson
Tape everything: It's good for us, and police
The idea of requiring that police officers make use of so-called 'body cams' has gained currency. Read more
Did Michael Brown have his 'hands up' when killed by police? Private autopsy can't say
In Ferguson, the scene was quiet and subdued Tuesday evening on West Florissant Avenue as about 250 people milled around. Someone was handing out roses, and several members of the clergy mingled with protesters, as well as members of the Nation of Islam looking sharp in suits and bow ties. By 9:30 p.m., police presence got heavier, moving in from the periphery. A fleet of police vehicles sat in the middle of the action.
One woman was arrested but to officers could not tell a reporter why.
Some had come with containers of milk, prepared to pour it over their eyes in case of tear gas.
- Lilly Fowler, 9:30 p.m. Tuesday
• • • •
A movement is afoot to shift the site of demonstrations protesting the Michael Brown shooting from Ferguson to Clayton, the St. Louis County seat.
"We're telling people to move from Ferguson to Clayton, we need to go the people who are making the decisions - and that is (St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney) Bob McCulloch," said independent financial adviser Marvin Mitchell, a resident of Maplewood and Ferguson native.
Mitchell was among the handful of protesters demonstrating outside the Justice Center in downtown Clayton Tuesday afternoon.
Demonstrator Jeffery Hill, with the Organization of Black Struggle, blamed the ongoing protests on the lack of transparency by authorities.
He pointed to the release of a photograph showing Darren Wilson, the officer who encountered and then shot Brown shortly after noon on Aug. 9, receiving a citation for meritorious service.
Authorities, he charged, are "trying to make him look like a hero" while depicting Brown as a possible suspect in a strong armed robbery prior to the shooting.
- Steve Giegerich, 9:21 p.m.
• • • •
Evidence in shooting to be presented to grand jury starting Wednesday
Evidence in the shooting of Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer will be presented to a grand jury beginning Wednesday.
"We are going to attempt to start giving evidence to the grand jury (Wednesday), depending upon the ability to get the witnesses in and the witnesses showing up," said Ed Magee, spokesman for St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch. "It will be handled by the attorney regularly assigned to the grand jury. It will not be by Mr. McCulloch."
The standing St. Louis County Circuit Court grand jury, not a special assembly, will hear the evidence.
- Tim O'Neil, 4:15 p.m. Tuesday
• • •
New protest zone established
The Missouri Highway Patrol has closed West Florissant Avenue for the evening and declared a new "approved assembly zone" for protesters at 9026 West Florissant, on the lot of a former Ford dealership. That site is south of Ferguson Avenue but north of the Westfall (formerly Northwoods) shopping center, location of the police command post.
A new staging area for reporters and photographers is at the Public Storage buildings, across West Florissant from Canfield Drive, the scene of much of the street turmoil during the last several nights.
West Florissant at Lucas and Hunt was to be closed unless you could prove you live in the area.
- Tim O'Neil, 6 p.m. Tuesday
• • •
78 arrested in Ferguson protests overnight; many from here, some from elsewhere
In the blur of firepower and outrage that have consumed Ferguson's streets the past 10 days, the flow of even the most basic information often has been muddled by police agencies scrambling to maintain law and order.
St. Louis County jail records say at least 86 people have been booked there for "refusal to disperse" since Aug. 13, the day before the Missouri Highway Patrol took command of securing West Florissant Avenue, an after-dark battleground between protesters and police since the day after Michael Brown was shot and killed by a Ferguson officer.
At least 78 protesters were arrested Monday night into Tuesday morning for refusing to disperse, unlawful use of a weapon and interfering with a police officer, records say. That total more than doubles that reported by the Missouri Highway Patrol early Tuesday morning after protests subsided. The patrol reported that 31 people had been arrested.
Those arrested for offenses during the protests Monday and Tuesday had all been released, according to jail officials.
Highway Patrol Capt. Ronald S. Johnson has said some of the protesters causing problems have come to Ferguson from outside the St. Louis area, but that most are local.
Jail records say more than 40 of those arrested are from the St. Louis region and parts of Missouri, but that at least 13 have addresses outside the region including Chicago; Des Moines, Iowa; New York City; Huntsville, Ala.; Washington, D.C.; and San Diego, Calif.
Among those arrested were New York City residents Carl Dix, a member of the Revolutionary Communist Party, and Travis Morales, who identifies himself as a party supporter. Reached by phone Tuesday, Morales confirmed the arrests and said he would call back later to provide a comment.
"Because people defiantly refused to be stopped by curfews, National Guard deployment and states of emergency, the whole world now knows about the unjust murder of Michael Brown," Dix said in a news release Tuesday.
St. Louis County police said Tuesday night that they had arrested 52 people from Monday morning through Tuesday morning, but it was unclear how many of them were included in the 78 previously counted who were arrested Monday night into Tuesday morning.
Of those arrested, the majority were for “refusal to disperse.” One person was arrested for drug possession, two for outstanding warrants or failure to appear in court, and one for interfering with a law enforcement officer.
Of those arrested, 93 percent were not from Ferguson, police said. And 27 percent were not Missouri residents.
Of those from Missouri, 15 were from St. Louis, seven were from Florissant, six from unincorporated St. Louis County, four from Ferguson, two from Jennings, and one each from Floridell Hills, Creve Coeur, Hazelwood, and Bel-Ridge.
Of those from outside Missouri, four each were from New York and Illinois, and one each from Washington D.C., Maryland, California, Virginia, Alabama, and Texas.
- Joel Currier and Valerie Schremp Hahn, 8:45 p.m. Tuesday |
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Tue Aug 19, 2014 10:13 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Workers who were witnesses provide new perspective on Michael Brown shooting
1 hour ago • By Jeremy Kohler jkohler@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8337 and Robert Patrick rpatrick@post-dispatch.com > 314-621-5154
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.
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.
At least one witness has said Brown was not moving. Others didn’t mention him moving, while still others have said he was heading toward Wilson.
There is no way to determine how many witnesses have spoken to law enforcement without making public statements. The worker acknowledged that his account could be valuable to the case because he did not know either Brown or Wilson and had no ties to Ferguson.
The worker said he saw Brown on Aug. 9 about 11 a.m. as Brown was walking west on Canfield Drive, toward West Florissant Avenue.
He said Brown struck up a rambling, half-hour conversation with his co-worker.
The co-worker could not be reached for comment through his employer. He previously told KTVI (Channel 2) that he had uttered a profanity in frustration after hitting a tree root while digging. Brown heard him and stopped to talk.
Brown “told me he was feeling some bad vibes,” the co-worker told KTVI in a video that aired Aug. 12. “That the Lord Jesus Christ would help me through that as long as I didn’t get all angry at what I was doing.”
The worker interviewed by the Post-Dispatch said he paid attention to little of the conversation. He said he heard Brown tell his co-worker that he had a picture of Jesus on his wall; and the co-worker joked that the devil had a picture of him on the wall.
The co-worker told KTVI that Brown promised to come back and resume their conversation; Brown walked away, and the workers returned to their job.
About a half-hour later, the worker heard a gunshot. Then he saw Brown running away from a police car. Wilson trailed about 10 to 15 feet behind, gun in hand. About 90 feet away from the car, the worker said, Wilson fired another shot at Brown, whose back was turned.
The worker said Brown stumbled and then stopped, put his hands up, turned around and said, “OK, OK, OK, OK, OK.” He said he told investigators from the St. Louis County police and the FBI that because of the stumble, it seemed to him that Brown had been wounded.
A private autopsy showed that all but one of his gunshot wounds came while Brown was facing Wilson. Shawn L. Parcells, who participated in the autopsy, said one of the wounds to the arm could have occurred when Brown was facing away from Wilson. “It’s inconclusive,” he said. St. Louis County and federal autopsy results have not been released.
Wilson, gun drawn, also stopped about 10 feet in front of Brown, the worker said.
Then Brown moved, the worker said. “He’s kind of walking back toward the cop.” He said Brown’s hands were still up.
Wilson began backing up as he fired, the worker said.
After the third shot, Brown’s hands started going down, and he moved about 25 feet toward Wilson, who kept backing away and firing. The worker said he could not tell from where he watched — about 50 feet away — if Brown’s motion toward Wilson after the shots was “a stumble to the ground” or “OK, I’m going to get you, you’re already shooting me.”
Among people who have spoken to the media, there hasn’t been a clear consensus on what happened after Brown turned around.
Dorian Johnson — a friend of Brown’s who said he was walking with him when Wilson approached them on Canfield and told them to get off the street — told CNN that Brown was “beginning to tell the officer he was unarmed and to tell him to stop shooting.” Johnson, 22, told KTVI Brown was starting to get down when he was shot.
Johnson also told MSNBC that Wilson began shooting before Brown “could get his last words out.”
Another witness who lives nearby, Michael T. Brady, 32, told CNN that Brown turned with his hands under his stomach. He also said Brown took one or two steps toward Wilson as he was going down when Wilson fired three or four more times.
Piaget Crenshaw, who lives in the Canfield apartments, and Tiffany Mitchell, her boss, were in different places in the complex. Crenshaw told CNN that Brown didn’t move toward Wilson. In several statements to reporters, neither has mentioned Brown moving toward Wilson.
The New York Times quoted James McKnight as saying Brown stumbled toward Wilson, who was 6 to 7 feet away.
Phillip Walker, 40, another Canfield Green resident, told the Post-Dispatch on Tuesday that Brown was walking at a steady pace toward Wilson, with his hands up. “Not quickly,” Walker said. “He did not rush the officer.” Walker, who is distantly related to a Post-Dispatch reporter not involved in this report, said the last shot, into the top of Brown’s head, was from about 4 feet away.
“It wasn’t justified because he didn’t pose no threat to the officer. I don’t understand why he didn’t Tase him if he deemed him to be hostile. He didn’t have no weapon on him. I was confused on why he was shooting his rounds off like that into this individual,” Walker said.
The co-worker in the KTVI interview said he “starting hearing pops and when I look over … I seen somebody staggering and running. And when he finally caught himself he threw his hands up and started screaming, ‘OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK.’”
He 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.”
No witness has ever publicly claimed that Brown charged at Wilson. The worker interviewed by the Post-Dispatch disputed claims by Wilson’s defenders that Brown was running full speed at the officer.
“I don’t know if he was going after him or if he was falling down to die,” he said. “It wasn’t a bull rush.”
David Hunn and Stephen Deere of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
Jeremy Kohler is an investigative reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @jeremykohler. |
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Sat Sep 06, 2014 2:08 pm |
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