The Rude Pundit: In Brief: Something Else That's Wrong with Darren Wilson's Story of the Shooting...

[moriah]

In Brief: Something Else That's Wrong with Darren Wilson's Story of the Shooting of Michael Brown

http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2014/11/in-brief-something-else-thats-wrong.html

There is one aspect of Officer Darren Wilson's actions in his confrontation with Michael Brown that hasn't received much attention, but it has been bugging the shit out of the Rude Pundit. By his own admission, Wilson got out of his car and chased Brown, who he knew was unarmed. Wilson said that he fired several shots when Brown supposedly turned and charged him. By his own admission, Wilson missed Brown with some of the shots. Then he fired again, another series of shots, some of which missed and some of which hit Brown, killing him. "I don't know how many I shot," Wilson told the grand jury, "I just know I shot it." We can hope that "it" means the gun and not Brown.

This all took place in the middle of the day at the Canfield Green Apartments, a public housing project in Ferguson that has far, far more than its fair share of crime and poverty. Wilson killed Brown on August 9, a little after noon. It was a summer day; school didn't start until August 25. So in the middle of a housing project, with apartments and people all around, Officer Darren Wilson made the tactical decision to fire wildly at an unarmed man who was posing no threat to anyone except him.

As many have said, Wilson could have gotten back in his SUV and awaited backup. But, no matter what you think happened, we know that Wilson decided the best course of action was to fire ten bullets, no matter who might get hurt. We also know that some of those shots hit the apartment buildings around Wilson and Brown. And we know that Wilson is pretty damn lucky he didn't hurt or kill anyone else while he was firing his gun over and over.

So the conclusion here is that Darren Wilson just didn't give a damn who might be collateral damage, not in a neighborhood that Wilson called "antipolice." Fuck those people, right? Surely, though, cops are trained on how to use their guns in situations where innocent people might be around. Certainly, they are told that in occupied, residential areas, you should shoot only if there are absolutely no other options. Of course, cops must be told that the safety of the public is their primary concern, not their own safety in the heat of a moment against an unarmed man.

A little more is after the snip.

[Kalidurga]

1. Something else is wrong

The police car is facing in the opposite direction of where Michael Brown was running. Wilson could have easily stayed in the car to pursue Brown or he could have stayed in the car and called for backup or he could have just drove off since it was a jaywalking incident.

[SunSeeker]

8. Great graphic. It shows the distance was 152 feet, not 24 feet like the MSM keeps reporting.

Last edited Wed Nov 26, 2014, 09:28 PM - Edit history (1)

Who the fuck should be afraid of an unarmed man over half a football field away from you? And mind you, the man is on foot while you're sitting in an SUV.

[Kalidurga]

10. He was pursuing Brown on foot at that point

so it's even worse. Who pursues a dangerous person on foot when you can stay in your vehicle and pursue them that way while you wait for back up?

[sunnystarr]

14. A football field is 100 yards which is 300 ft.

However, I'm too am sick and tired of hearing anything from 25 to 35 ft from the media. The hosts (Sharpton today) don't straighten them out with the facts. How can than be fixed? It makes a big difference.

[SunSeeker]

20. Right. 100 yards. thanks for the correction..nt

[Scootaloo]

41. 300 / 2 = 150, 152 is "over half" of that.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

2. K&R for the Rude One.

[BootinUp]

3. Yes, exactly. He didn't give a fuck about Brown OR the people that LIVED there.

It was just a war zone to Wilson.

[1StrongBlackMan]

4. Each of these questions ...

Someone should ask him, "Did you think for one second about the other people who you might end up shooting? Did you even think they were people?" Or perhaps "Would you have shot like that in your own neighborhood?"

Would have been asked, on cross-examination, by a prosecutor seeking to secure an indictment, as they are elements to be established for at least three criminal acts that I can think of.

But nope ... the "prosecutor" chose to allow the defendant to tell his tale, uncontested.

[LuvNewcastle]

11. That's one of the most important facts on the side of the Brown

family's case. If this prosecutor had been a defense attorney and had failed so miserably at such an easy case (like securing a simple indictment), he would be liable for malpractice. It is crystal clear to me that this prosecutor was biased against Brown and in favor of Wilson. The Feds should be all over this. If the Justice Dept. is as thorough as I know they can be, they're going to uncover all sorts of misconduct and corruption in that county. For all their faults, I'm glad we have Obama and Holder overseeing the Justice Dept. right now. I'm glad we have any Democrat.

[BrotherIvan]

25. The prosecutor and the governor are both Democrats

So that didn't help much. I'm starting to think the federal case will find no wrongdoing as well. This was a good trial balloon and most of the protestors will be too tired by then. The only hope is the civil suit.

[JDPriestly]

44. The feds should look into the administration of justice in all of the St. Louis area.

Aspects of the California justice system has been under the careful watch of the federal government for some years at various times, and it has all been to the good of the citizens.

I hope the feds investigate not just this case but justice in the St. Louis area generally.

What a mess. I wonder what the Missouri prison system and juvenile justice system are like.

This situation bears more investigation for sure.

[Raster]

19. The prosecutor was IN THE BAG. He had no intention of getting anywhere near the truth.

[Cha]

5. I was thinking of that too.. and I had read the other day that it was 12 shots fired and 7

hit Michael.. so that article must have been little off.

mahalo moriah.. no way should DW ever get back on the police force anywhere. He should be having to go to trial.

Michael Brown

[WillyT]

6. K & R !!!

[niyad]

7. k and r

[mainstreetonce]

9. So many things that could have come up at trial

Could he not be charged with reckless endangerment?

Could the police department use this as grounds to fire him?

I think he is trying to negotiate a big bucks resignation settlement.

[Warpy]

12. Chased, my flabby old ass

All the casings were there, right at his car.

[csziggy]

39. In the diagram posted in this thread, the casings are the black dots

There are two next to the car, ten near where Brown's body was found. The blood "smears" were 20-25 feet past where the body lay, according to the diagrams I've seen posted here on DU.

But I have a major problem with the information on the diagrams. More than one source has criticized the evidence collection. Various narratives have said that it took a while for police to tape off the scene (Dorian Johnson in his grand jury testimony said he went to his apartment, changed clothes, came back down and the scene was being taped), lots of people wandered in and out of the scene.

The blood "smears" don't look as though they dropped down from a wound - more as if they were carried back from the shots further away: (scroll down about 2/3s of the page to the images of the blood) http://www.scribd.com/doc/248153256/Michael-Brown-Shooting-Ferguson-Crime-Scene-Photos The photo with the marker #20 shows angled spatter, not spatter from above. The spatter at marker #19 is also angled, though not as much.

Could the spatter behind where Michael Brown's body lay have been from where parts of his skull where thrown by the force of the shot that killed him? That would eliminate the narrative that those blood areas "prove" that Brown turned and "charged" at Wilson.

I don't trust the location of the shell casings - they are very tightly grouped. Did Wilson stand in one spot, shoot 4-5 rounds at the fleeing Brown, then as Brown "charged" at Wilson, Wilson did not move and shot 5-6 more rounds at the charging Wilson? Because according to Wilson's story and the recorded location of the rounds, that is what the police claim. I wonder if the casings were moved to fit Wilson's story.

[Contrary1]

13. "And we know that Wilson is pretty damn lucky he didn't hurt or kill anyone else

while he was firing his gun over and over."

Nah, the lucky ones are those he didn't hit while firing. If that had not been the case, I'm pretty sure there would have been no consequences for Wilson anyway.

[spanone]

15. k&r...

[PsychGrad]

16. Times like this make me want to shut down my FB...

On top of people not reading the testimonies, but having a ton of shit to say about the incident. How many "White people didn't riot when OJ was acquitted" and "Unarmed white man shot and killed by police, no riots or looting" bs pictures do I have to endure? I cannot believe how many people in this day and age continue to deny the systematic oppression of an entire race of people. It makes my heart and my head hurt.

[abelenkpe]

18. Don't see that on my FB

because I unfriended and/or unfollower every racist nitwit association, friend and relative. It really helps one maintain their sanity. Unfollowing is easy now and as long as right wing friends don't post ugly comments on my posts we can stay friends....sort of. Maybe try that? I totally know how you feel though. All my east coast relatives are very very rightwing fox new types.

[PsychGrad]

24. I feel it's even worse...

Because anyone on my FB KNOWS I have young black (and biracial) males in my family that I love - that this kind of thing is very personal to me. Yet, they continue to make jokes about black men not working, or being "animals", or deserving to die if they sag their pants. It's very disheartening.

[gvstn]

17. Lots of little things wrong

http://gawker.com/fuck-darren-wilson-i-posted-the-below-elsewhere-but-i-1663420737

Fuck Darren Wilson. I posted the below elsewhere, but I think it's worth saying again.

Amongst other problems, one more with this piece of shit Wilson is that he doesn't recognize all of his idiotic actions that led to this mess. I sure as hell hope he wasn't trained to handle a crisis this poorly, because he really did royally fuck up his plan of attack. To recap:

1.

He hassled a pair of youths for walking in the street.

2.

He accosted them while at a numerical disadvantage, to say nothing of Brown's larger size, in a way that clearly did not de-escalate the situation.

3.

He accosted them at a distance so sufficiently close that it allowed one of them to (allegedly) assault him with their bare hands.

4.

He accosted them in such a way (seated, in a vehicle, with the window down) that left him at a clear physical disadvantage with no desirable recourse if the exchange turned physical.

5.

He attempted to fight off and/or shoot Brown at the vehicle instead of using his cruiser's mobility to put distance between himself and the alleged perpetrator, which would've allowed himself both time and space to regroup and call backup as needed.

6.

He got out of the cruiser (at that point a relatively safe position, given Brown's flight) to pursue his alleged assailant, who it is agreed had turned his back to flee and had (I believe) already been shot, and did so prior to calling for backup from other units.

7.

Finally: He shot an unarmed Brown (who was either surrendering or charging) depending on who you believe.

8.

He did all of this in less than 60 seconds.

If the Ferguson PD is training its officers to make this litany of errors, they really are a shitshow of incompetence. My overall point: even if you believe this douchebag is innocent of casual racism, an ego-driven power trip, and spinning a web of lies to wash his hands of Brown's unjustifiable homocide (as I suspect him of), you must at the very least admit this guy's a fucking idiot and a shitty cop with no gift for strategy, a complete inability to properly evaluate risk and how to mitigate it, no talent for de-escalating a tense situation, and no capability to recognize how his own actions result in unfortunate outcomes. A casual moron like this—somebody incapable of calmly, rationally evaluating the hand he's been dealt, and making the most of it before charging headlong into the fray like Pickett at Gettysburg—is exactly not the sort of person who should be a cop entrusted with a gun and legal authority. They're just too stupid not to fuck it up.

[Iggo]

23. Rec.

[BrotherIvan]

27. Agreed

He was in a car for chrissakes and had to stand his ground (as Mike Brown was running away)? He couldn't drive away? He made a serious of fucking horrible choices and still people believe he had no choice but to kill.

[cpamomfromtexas]

31. Precisely, and thanks for posting it

[JDPriestly]

46. You forgot to mention that he backed his car right up next to the two young men and then

opened the car door so as to hit Brown. That was aggressive right there, a challenge to a fight.

OK. So that was just human nature to try to pick a fight by opening the car door after positioning his car so that when opening the door he would hit Brown.

But, police officers are supposed to have more control than to have to pick fights. That is where the underlying problem in this case lies. What is the role of our police forces across the country?

Is it to pick fights, to make bad situations worse, or is it to make peace and to try to diffuse the anger in bad situations.

I watched the Stephanopoulos interview of Wilson. Wilson came across as a mild-mannered but very nervous man. He also came across as a person not at all suited for the police profession and as one whose motive in becoming a police officer was unclear not just to me as a viewer but to him.

If a person enters another profession, say teaching, or the ministry, or law, or medicine or nursing, that person has an ideal, a goal. That person wants to serve others and to create a better community.

I think we get a lot of people becoming police officers who either don't understand the social value and goal of that profession or who lose sight of it very quickly. That is corruption. It will lead to even more serious problems in the future.

Becoming a police officer is accepting a responsible role in society. The social dysfunction we see in Ferguson is partly the result of a police department that does not comprehend its role and function in society. Being a police officer is not just about beating the bad guys up. It should be about promoting harmony and helping to create a community in which there are fewer bad guys.

The Ferguson police department needs to be rebuilt from scratch. Every officer, every person in that police department needs to go find another job. And the city needs to rebuild, starting with a seasoned and peaceful police chief and hiring men and women who will really protect and serve their community.

I think that the concept of policing needs to be reviewed in the US. We are only slightly better than Mexico in this regard. And Mexico is a mess when it comes to some of its police forces.

[gvstn]

53. Great post!

[SummerSnow]

21. Okay...

I have been hearing for months about cops being "retrained". Retraining will never help in similar situations cause if you have biased feelings and attitudes towards certain groups the so called retraining won't change your heart or thoughts about certain groups. So it's futile.How do you change a thought or an ideology?

[JDPriestly]

47. Actually, retraining could change some of the biases about certain groups.

Retraining could also help identify those who resist changing their feelings and attitudes.

[ReRe]

22. This is what I think:

... Remember back to the sound recording of the shots. I think Wilson shot the first volley of shots from his cruiser. None of those shots hit Michael. As soon as Wilson took those first shots, Michael instantly stopped running, turned around and put his hands in the air simultaneously. While Michael was doing that, Wilson stepped out of the cruiser and took aim. As the second round of shots hit Michael, he was in the process of walking back towards the cruiser. But by the end of that 2nd volley of shots, Michael was falling forwards and the last shot went straight thru the top of his head. The only reason Dorian Johnson didn't get shot was because he had ducked behind a car.

Michael had run 150 ft by the time he turned around. That's 1/2 the distance of a football field. That's 12.5 yards. The reason Wilson missed Michael on the first volley of shots from inside his cruiser is because Michael was running as fast as he could in the opposite direction.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

26. Brown had been hit and was surrendering. Standing in place with his hands up,....

.....made him an easy target.

[Indydem]

28. Glad your anonymity allows you to make things up.

The actual evidence in the case does not support your interpretation.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

34. Witnesses do....

Even a white one.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

29. Did anybody else think it was odd

That Wilson reportedly told GS that there was "no way Brown had his hands up"?Seems to me like sort of an odd way to put it. He was there and would be able unequivocally say if they were or not, right?

[arcane1]

51. Like Mark Byers saying "Yes! I KNEW I was innocent!" after passing a polygraph test

in one of the "West Memphis Three" documentaries.

It does sound odd. Like he's saying it's not possible, rather than it being simply not what he saw.

[loyalsister]

52. Because the police elders

told me that thugs never follow the law, let alone police instructions.

[rgbecker]

30. I was surprised to read about the result of one of the shots fired in the car.

Seems the evidence shows a bullet went through the drivers door, towards Brown and shattered the drivers' side window and caused a outward dent in the door skin. Clearly Wilson intended to shoot Brown as he sat in the car tussling with him. Still reading and expect to learn Wilson's gun was on his right side, held with his right hand. Unbelievable that an officer would draw his gun while in such close quarters with his (supposed) assailant. The testimony also reports he was in control of the weapon at all times.

This Grand Jury report is a Godsend for Holiday reading!

[deist99]

32. Yes

He shoth because according to Wilson Brown was going for his weapon. Someone goes for your weapon you can use deadly force

[BootinUp]

33. I noticed you didn't qualify that with if Wilsons story is true or not.

Just an observation.

[deist99]

36. If

Your right I didn't and I should have. We will never know for sure if he did or not. Johnson says that Brown never had his hands in the car and he never punched Wilson. Wilson says he did. We have clear evidence that Wilson had contusions on his head that are consistent with being punched. There is also blood from Brown inside the vehicle on the driver side door. This evidence supports Wilsons version of events, not Johnsons.
Personally, I think all police officers should wear body cams. It certainly would have helped in this scenario.

[rgbecker]

38. I'm having trouble imagining Brown reaching across Wilson to get at gun in Holster.

More likely he is pushing gun aside to keep Wilson from shooting him. Wilson clearly had the weapon unholstered and was intending to use it. It's clear Wilson did fire the gun and it was in the direction of the drivers door and presumably, Brown, who was standing at the door. Johnson was smart to run like hell. If Brown hadn't run he would have been dead in Wilson's hands right at the car.

[JDPriestly]

48. Wilson had already opened the door and had hit Brown with the door.

That is an assault. All Brown had done at that point was to insult the officer maybe using a word that offended the officer. That's hardly grounds for backing up right next to Brown and then opening the door so as to hit Brown. The aggression on Wilson's part was there from the get-go.

If Wilson thought that Brown had stolen cigarillos, Wilson's trying to open the door was a foolish thing to do. The story makes no sense, but it is clear that Wilson was not just trying to stop Brown but rather that something in Wilson might have been seeking to start a fight -- a fight in which Wilson had the gun and Brown clearly did not.

Assuming Wilson's statement that Brown reached for his gun is true, that fact was a pretty good but not definite indication that Brown did not himself have a gun.

[Thespian2]

35. I wonder why

Wilson didn't go after Dorian Johnson? He was a little guy. I guess Wilson was pissed at just Michael Brown because Brown and Johnson didn't like being attacked by an SUV when the Murderer backed toward them, coming very close to hitting them. Oh, the Lying Bastard Murderer forgot to say that in his fantasy testimony.

[Overseas]

37. K&R. Great points!

[raging moderate]

40. I haven't heard much about the factor of Michael Brown's physical agony.

Some people keep talking as though it is possible to think straight and move rationally right after you have been shot. I have never been shot, but I gather it produces terrible mind-blowing agony. After I am shot, I am sure that I will be shrieking and scowling and flailing and lunging forward with no thought as to how I look or sound.

[pablo_marmol]

42. Adrenalin suppresses pain.

I've been hit with gunfire, and the pain didn't kick in until the threat was gone.

[JDPriestly]

43. Another part of the testimony that troubles me is the fact that Wilson admits to having tried

to open his car door and hitting Brown with the door. It is very unclear whether Wilson was aware of the theft of the cigarillos at the time he opened his car door so as to hit Brown. From Wilson's testimony, it sounds more like Brown said something to Wilson that made Wilson and mad, and Wilson then decided to "get" Brown no matter what.

Wilson backed up so that Brown and his companion were right next to the car door and then opened the car door so as to hit Brown. That was an uncalled-for act of physical aggression that had nothing to do with police procedure.

[Dont call me Shirley]

45. My hypothesis is that DW had a big fight with his gf that morning and still raging about it

overkilled Michael Brown, an innocent.

[JDPriestly]

49. Pretty good theory.

[Dont call me Shirley]

50. First thing I thought when I heard what DW had done. Odd thoughts usually are near reality.