Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Did Mike Brown grab the gun or not? [View all]TorchTheWitch
(11,065 posts)22. you're looking for truth and facts HERE?
Look, let's just use some common sense here. Brown thrust himself through Wilson's open driver's side window past his armpits and hit him twice. There was a struggle reported by multiple eyewitnesses inside the car that saw this struggle occurring because of the movements Brown's body was making. With that much of Brown's body through the window it would not have been possible for Wilson in the driver's seat to remain upright in the seat nor would he have wanted to because the only way to try to get himself as far away from Brown's fists as he could would have been to lean over into the passenger side of the car which likely anyone would do instinctively anyway. That is why no one could say they were able to see where exactly Wilson was or what he was doing inside the car.
Keep in mind that this occurred around noon on a bright sunny day where the sun would have been shining on the windshield making it virtually impossible to see through it unless one was right smack up against the car and probably with their face pressed to a window shading their eyes. Further, the car itself and Brown's body completely blocking the driver's side window even if someone was right up against the car they somehow have to see down into the interior of the car to see what was happening during this struggle.
Since Brown would know that Wilson had a gun and where on his body it was located and that as an officer he was trained in how to use it effectively and draw it quickly is there any reason you could possibly come up with that Brown would have thrust his upper body through the window and hit Wilson and struggle with him WITHOUT trying to disarm him? There is really no question that of course Brown's biggest interest was to keep the gun away from the officer so he wouldn't get killed. Seriously, with Brown attacking the officer is there some insane reason why he would have just allowed Wilson to unholster the gun, aim it and shoot Brown dead with it without trying to keep Wilson from using it to shoot and kill him?
The bullet fired inside the car struck the tip of Brown's thumb which forensically makes it logical that Brown was reaching for that gun when it was fired. We don't know if Brown was shot because he was trying to get the gun away from Wilson to use against him or if he was trying to push it away to keep Wilson from shooting him. Either way, that amounts to a struggle over the gun.
Is there some reason that Wilson would have lied about the struggle over the gun? There is no reason to lie about that because with Brown having assaulted him with his fists whatever happened with the gun doesn't alter in any way Wilson's fear, or his shooting the gun inside the car or his going after Brown when he ran. There is no reason for him to lie about the struggle over the gun, and there is no logical reason to imagine there wasn't a struggle over the gun.
Further, the struggle in the car took a considerable time according to the eyewitnesses. Is there some reason that Wilson would just have allowed Brown to punch him and struggle with him WITHOUT immediately unholstering, aiming and firing his gun if for some insane reason Brown was not trying to remove it or keep Wilson from using it? What the fuck were they doing all that time, dancing??? What possible struggle would have occurred that did not involve the gun since A) Wilson would have had every reason in the world to grab it, aim and shoot from the moment Brown first thrust his upper body into the car and hit him or otherwise grappled with him, and B) he's a trained police officer that can unholster his gun, aim and shoot it very quickly.
Read the documents of all the eyewitness statements and all the forensic evidence. There's tons of it, but this in what the evidence is and what the grand jury used to come to their decision. Then read the law in MO concerning when and under what circumstances a police office has the right to use deadly force. There's no question that the grand jury made the correct decision, and everyone paying attention already knew what the decision was going to be given even what little information was out in public before we got all the documents.
http://documents.latimes.com/ferguson-grand-jury/
http://lawofselfdefense.com/statute/mo-563-046-law-enforcement-officers-use-of-force-in-making-an-arrest/
Edit history
Please sign in to view edit histories.
Recommendations
0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):
71 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
RecommendedHighlight replies with 5 or more recommendations
It can't be forensically proven or disproven, though I don't believe the claim
Recursion
Nov 2014
#1
Oh, I guess that would explain the lack of any solid answer about it.
PersonNumber503602
Nov 2014
#2
Damn shame there wasn't any body cameras, or at least a dash board cam.
PersonNumber503602
Nov 2014
#6
His testimony has a long, tortured explanation of why he didn't go for his mace or baton
Recursion
Nov 2014
#7
At least he didn't claim to have grabbed (and used) the gun by accident, like J. Meserle did.
nomorenomore08
Nov 2014
#10
Ahh, that most lethal and aggressive action first mentality that far too many police officers have
PersonNumber503602
Nov 2014
#12
That does not definitely demonstrate anything, according to the very pathologist being quoted
alcibiades_mystery
Nov 2014
#14
It was in the autopsy report, gun shot in Brown's hand, soft tissue recovered from the vehicle
snooper2
Nov 2014
#36
Which only shows that he was shot in the hand, not that he was grabbing for a gun
alcibiades_mystery
Nov 2014
#44
I hate saying it like this, but on the "pro Brown" side, is there any comment the forensics
PersonNumber503602
Nov 2014
#9
Everyone (myself included) comes at these cases with pre-conceived notions.
nomorenomore08
Nov 2014
#11
As nomorenomore08 said below, grabbing a cops gun does sound suicidal.
PersonNumber503602
Nov 2014
#19
Every sentence out of Wilson's mouth is carefully crafted by attorney to match the statute
alcibiades_mystery
Nov 2014
#29
"It's ridiculous. His entire testimony is ridiculous. And everybody knows it."
nomorenomore08
Nov 2014
#48
I doubt it. Unless he was suicidal, and I've seen no indication that he was.
nomorenomore08
Nov 2014
#8
I'm glad I'm not the only one who found that an incredibly arrogant post. n/t
nomorenomore08
Nov 2014
#49
Even if he did that would have been long before he had his hands up and was exicuted. nt
Quixote1818
Nov 2014
#34
Can't be proven now, Wilson put his own gun into an evidence bag and washed his hands
Rex
Nov 2014
#47