8/20/2014
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According to a preliminary report from a St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter, police say that more than a dozen witnesses back Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson’s version of the events that led to the fatal shooting of Michael Brown.
Post-Dispatch reporter Christine Byers sent a tweet late Monday teasing her findings.
Wilson’s claims match a woman who called herself “Josie” who called into Dana Loesch’s radio show on Friday. CNN confirmed with police officials that what Josie told Loesch matches what Wilson says happened during his encounter with Brown.
UPDATE: On Tuesday, Byers said that she has been on leave from the paper since March, and has not been involved in the paper’s reporting on the Ferguson riots.
According to Josie, Wilson, a six-year police veteran, claims Brown assaulted and then “bum rushed” him during their encounter on August 9.
The assault followed after Wilson drove upon Brown and a friend walking in the street. Wilson told the two to move to the sidewalk. After driving forward, Wilson reportedly received a dispatch call about a strong-arm robbery at a convenience store.
Brown allegedly stole cigars from the store and shoved a store clerk. According to Josie, Wilson says he saw the cigars and then confronted Brown and his friend.
Wilson reversed his car back toward Brown and his friend, Dorian Johnson.
Josie said that Wilson tried to exit his cruiser but that Brown pushed the door back on him and came after him. She said that after Brown assaulted Wilson, Brown bolted, and, as “protocol” dictates, the officer pursued and ordered Brown to “freeze.”
Wilson claims Brown turned around and taunted before “bum rushing” him, according to Josie.
Wilson fired at Brown, who fell to the ground two or three feet in front of Wilson.
If “more than a dozen” witnesses back Wilson’s claim, that would outnumber the four witnesses who say that Wilson shot Brown as he was surrendering.
Johnson, who was with Brown in the store during the alleged strong-arm robbery, said that Brown was running away as he was shot. But he did not mention that incident in the convenience store when he told the media about the shooting.
Two other witnesses said that Brown was fleeing Wilson after their altercation in the cruiser. As Wilson was shooting, Brown turned around while holding his hands up to surrender, the witnesses have claimed.
A fourth witness has told the media that when Brown surrendered he fell down to his knees with his hands up.
One neighborhood eye-witness gave a different version of events.
The man was unwittingly recorded on a video posted to YouTube in which he is overheard saying that he saw Wilson firing and possibly missing. He said that he saw Brown turn around and then begin moving or running towards Wilson.
An private autopsy released Monday determined that Brown was shot at least six times. Four hit Brown on the right arm and two in the head. One of the arm shots could have possibly hit Brown as he was running from Wilson, but the other five hit Brown in the front of the body, the medical examiners determined.
They also found that the fatal shot entered the top of Brown’s head and was moving from the back to the front of his head.
The Brown family and their supporters have claimed that this is evidence that Brown was surrendering when Wilson finished shooting.
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