Shootings of Michael Brown & 12 year old Tamir Rice

[Anthea]

Background to the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson

BBC News US & Canada

Ferguson decision: Official account of final 90 seconds

Ferguson decision: Official account of final 90 seconds



A grand jury in Missouri has declined to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown.

St Louis County's top prosecutor Bob McCulloch said the 12-strong panel, made up of nine white and three black jurors, met on 25 separate days, hearing more than 70 hours of testimony.

He stressed that members of the jury were "the only people who heard every witness... and every piece of evidence.''

At the same time, he suggested that not all of the witness testimony was credible, and that forensics and physical evidence were the best measures of truth.

This is a summary of those facts as stated by Mr McCulloch.

First encounter

According to Mr McCulloch, Wilson first approached Brown and a friend for walking in the middle of the street - but soon saw that Brown matched the description of a suspect in a recent robbery, and was carrying cigarillos, which had been stolen.


CCTV shows a robbery taking place minutes before the shooting. Police say Michael Brown was a suspect

Mr Wilson radioed for backup. Using his police cruiser, he blocked Brown and his friend's path.

With Mr Wilson still seated in the car and Brown standing outside, "an altercation took place," said Mr McCulloch. He said that witnesses described the altercation as "tussling, wrestling, tug of war or just some movement".

Mr Wilson fired two shots; Brown's thumb was grazed. A medical examination later showed that Mr Wilson's face had some swelling and redness.

Bleeding, Brown ran east, chased by Mr Wilson. As Brown turned back and moved towards Mr Wilson, the officer fired several more shots, including the fatal one.

Hands up?

Mr McCulloch offered no definitive statement as to whether Brown had his hands up. Instead, he relayed several different witness accounts.

"Some described his hands as out to his sides, some in front of him with his palms up, others said his hands were raised near his head, or were by his shoulders, still others said they were by his chest or down by his stomach," said Mr McCulloch. "Others described his hands as in a running position or in fists."

Several witnesses, he says, testified that Brown never raised his hands, while others say he did.

Gunshots and wounds

Michael Brown's body fell 135 feet from Mr Wilson's car. His blood was located 25 feet past that.

In total, Darren Wilson fired 12 rounds. Brown suffered seven or eight gunshot wounds, including the grazed thumb. One may have been an entry or a re-entry wound.

He was grazed in the right bicep and hit in the forearm, upper front right arm, lateral right chest, upper right chest, and forehead.

Backup arrived seconds later - 90 seconds after the police officer first made the call.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-30187257

[Anthea]

Michael Brown was not sweet and innocent - he was a thief and a bully

He did not put his hands up

A black person - who was watching the entire incident through his nearby window - was tweeting the details as they took place

This person had no reason to lie and did not know that Michael Brown was going to end up dead

Apparently this witness - like other witnesses - had his life threatened by people trying to make him alter his story - but as he produced live reports they could not be changed - I rather gather that this witness and others have been forced to move away for their own safety

Many people want to cause trouble within the black community - also as we now see - many people are using the protests as a cover for looters - there are many who just want their 15 minutes of fame - unknown people who pretend they know something in order to give themselves a high profile

A few years ago we had the same thing in Croydon South London - it turned out that over 90% of the rioters had criminal records and many of them had vans to take away stolen electrical equipment - a well orchestrated riot - this is what they now have in America

[Piling]

Did policemen shot also a terrible killer of 12 with a toy gun ?

[Anthea]

Did policemen shot also a terrible killer of 12 with a toy gun ?

That was terrible they shot a child who had been playing with a toy gun - he turned to find out what was happening behind him and as he turned he still had the toy in his hand and they shot him

He was Hispanic and his people are very religious - they have not rioted and they are probably all in the church crying - the Hispanic community will not use the shooting as an excuse to riot loot and steal - unless someone tries to stir them up and cause trouble

The worst part of that shooting i that the person who called the police told them that they thought it was a toy gun - but they phoned the police because even the site of a toy gun was upsetting people

Americans are very nervous at the moment because there have been a lot of shootings in schools - also their media has them terrified of Muslims

The English media is having the same effect of people here - many non-muslim people are turning against Muslims and many people living in Muslim areas are becoming afraid to go out

[Anthea]

Certainly not going to be much fun there this Christmas

The trouble with America is the gun law - it is far too easy for both good and bad people to obtain guns

According to the Nationwide Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation, 63 officers have died on the job this year

American police officers shoot more civilians of all races and walks of life than many other advanced countries.

In 2012, 410 Americans were "justifiably" killed by police, according to FBI data examined by the Economist. By contrast, British police officers fired their weapons just once that same year. No one was killed

A recent report from the Salt Lake City Tribune, which found that more Utahns have been killed by police than by gang members, drug dealers, child abuse or domestic disputes in the past five years. Or a 12-year-old Cleveland boy shot and killed for wielding a pellet gun in public.

It makes sense, sadly: The U.S. has a gun problem as it is, according to this analysis of gun deaths and gun ownership in advanced nations:



But the death of Michael Brown speaks to a larger issue with guns in America. Law enforcement officials needs the appropriate tools to to their jobs and protect themselves — but not at the expense of the population they're sworn to defend. After all, it's "Protect and Serve," not "Shoot to Kill."

For List of countries with number of police officers go to:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_c ... e_officers

[RomaMater]

Michael Brown attacked- or I'd say throttled- Officer Wilson in his patrol car and tried to get his sidearm- it was pretty much police SOP at that point. The punk was also under the influence of marijuana and he had just strong-armed a store, pummeled the store owner, and stole some cigarillos.

The rioters are the usual anarchist, commie, etc. rabble and rent-a-mobs that like to raise hell for no reason. Remember Occupy Wallstreet? It's the same trash- the majority of them are coming in from outside of Ferguson in fact and there's also a fact that racial demagoguery is a money-maker in the U.S., i.e. 'Reverend' Al Sharpton and his divinity degree from a crackerjack box, Jesse Jackson and the Rainbow Coalation, etc. Plenty of people get very wealthy agitating along racial lines here.

No one ever mentions the horrific level of black-on-black violence in cities like Detroit or Chicago but in a situation like this (or with the Zimmerman/Martin incident- where a mixed-race mestizo man was passed off as being white) it's a something that rabble-rousers can't pass up.

[Londoner]

The police officer is guilty of murder. He shot to kill, not to control. He could have shot him in the leg to disable him if he was a threat.

[RomaMater]

The police officer is guilty of murder. He shot to kill, not to control. He could have shot him in the leg to disable him if he was a threat.

Forensics disproves the narrative that Michael Brown was an innocent victim of police brutality. If the grand jury had found him guilty he would've been indicted and asked to turn himself in.

And- yes- the police officer shot to kill after being physically assaulted in his vehicle and having had his weapon almost stolen by a much larger suspect. I'm sorry that the boy is dead but he made a foolish choice and paid the price for it- and no I don't buy into the stupid narration of media sponges that all police officers are in the Gestapo.

Sorry mate if I had done the same thing: smoke pot, rob a store, beat up a store employee, assault a cop, tried to steal a cop's gun--- I'd probably be a corpse too.

[Anthea]

The police officer is guilty of murder. He shot to kill, not to control. He could have shot him in the leg to disable him if he was a threat.

It is easy for people to say the police officer should have shot to disable rather than kill - indeed my first thought was why did he not use a taser while the suspect was close by - the police had already been subject to his aggression and had no idea what he would do next - he had to be contained quickly or he could have harmed or injured an innocent passer-by

I think the police officer was right to act as he did - remember it all took place within a very short time frame - the man was violent and attacked people he could not have been allowed to just continue on his way

Michael Brown attacked the much smaller man in the shop - he attacked the police officer

Brown did NOT put his hands up - people have been threatened and made to change their stories in order to paint Brown as the innocent victim - there was nothing innocent about him

[Londoner]

No I disagree. He fired many shots. He shot to kill. He is guilty of murder. The support arrived after 1.30 minutes. Obviously he could have waited for a while before shooting. He didn't have to confront the victim, he should have waited for the support. He confronted and aggravated some one who was out of order to make the situation worst.

[Anthea]

No I disagree. He fired many shots. He shot to kill. He is guilty of murder. The support arrived after 1.30 minutes. Obviously he could have waited for a while before shooting. He didn't have to confront the victim, he should have waited for the support. He confronted and aggravated some one who was out of order to make the situation worst.

Then we will we have to differ

I read that he assaulted the police officer first

[Anthea]

The Washington Post

The confrontation: Different stories

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert P. McCulloch laid out this sequence of events in the Aug. 9 shooting of Michael Brown, assembled from physical evidence and witness testimony. When the narrative begins, Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson is sent to another call. He hears two radio dispatches describing a person who stole cigarillos from a nearby market, a black male wearing a red hat, khaki shorts and yellow socks and accompanied by another male.

Interesting and Informative link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sp ... -findings/

[Londoner]

Wilson fired several more rounds, killing Brown. Three autopsies agreed that seven or eight bullets hit Brown, all from the front. Three bullets hit while he was either falling or bent at the waist toward Wilson, including what was likely the fatal shot to the top of his head. Brown’s blood was found 25 feet farther east on Canfield than where his body lay, 153 feet from Wilson’s SUV.

He was shooting to kill. The shot killed him hit him while he was falling. That is a testimony of a wilful murder.

[Anthea]

Wilson fired several more rounds, killing Brown. Three autopsies agreed that seven or eight bullets hit Brown, all from the front. Three bullets hit while he was either falling or bent at the waist toward Wilson, including what was likely the fatal shot to the top of his head. Brown’s blood was found 25 feet farther east on Canfield than where his body lay, 153 feet from Wilson’s SUV.

He was shooting to kill. The shot killed him hit him while he was falling. That is a testimony of a wilful murder.

Brown was heading back towards Wilson - he had already tried to attack Wilson as he sat in his car - had Brown reached Wilson perhaps Wilson would have been the one to die

Wilson saw Brown seemingly reaching into his waistband or similar - he could have had a gun - in fact Brown's friend could well have been carrying a gun - I wonder why Brown's friend ran home and changed his clothes before returning to the scene - odd that

[Anthea]

BBC News US & Canada

Tamir Rice shooting: Cleveland police release recordings

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The 12-year-old boy shot by police in the US was told to show his hands three times by officers before they opened fire, a senior officer says.

Tamir Rice, whom the officers appeared to believe was much older, was shot twice and later died in hospital.

Cleveland police has released audio recordings and video of the incident.

His family has released a statement appealing for calm and thanked the police for releasing CCTV footage of events leading up to the shooting.

The CCTV video shows Tamir Rice pointing the toy gun at a passer-by from the playground where he was shot, which prompted a 911 emergency call.

Recordings of radio communications reveal a police officer at the scene describing Tamir Rice as aged "maybe 20" after the shooting.

A separate recording appears to confirm the officers were not told the gun might be fake.

The family of Tamir Rice said that they believed that their son's death could have been avoided.

In a statement, the family said: "The video shows one thing distinctly: the police officers reacted quickly."

They called for a thorough investigation of events and asked people in their community to remain calm and "protest peacefully and responsibly".

Cleveland police said on Wednesday that the family had given permission for CCTV recordings of the shooting to be released.

'Male down'

The footage shows Tamir Rice walking around a playground with a replica gun clearly in his hand.


Tamir Rice was shot by police on Saturday afternoon and died in hospital early on Sunday morning

Minutes later, a police car drives up and stops immediately next to him.

Chief officer Edward Tomba said that the car door was open when the officers arrived, and that they had ordered the 12-year-old to show his hands three times as the car pulled up alongside.

The boy was then shot and fatally wounded.

In a recording immediately after the incident, a police officer is heard saying: "Shots fired, male down, black male, maybe 20."

A recording of the call from the operator to police officers as they were dispatched to the scene appears to confirm that there was no mention of a replica gun.

The operator describes the incident as "a black male sitting on the swings, keeps pulling a gun out of his pants and pointing it at people".

An audio recording of the 911 emergency call had previously revealed that the caller had said the gun was "probably a fake" on two occasions, before adding he was not sure whether it was "real or not".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-cana ... ws_central

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