If 12 witnesses said Wilson shot at Brown as Brown ran away and only 4 witnesses denied that,

[helpmetohelpyou]

22. This is the statute

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2014/11/24/why-ferguson-officer-wasnt-charged-a-look-at-use-of-force-doctrine/



Why Ferguson Officer Wasn’t Charged: A Look at ‘Use of Force’ Doctrine



The state laws on “use of force” — or when a police officer is justified in using deadly force — varies from state to state. Missouri’s law is considered more officer-friendly than that in other states, say legal experts



Specifically, the law says:


563.046. A law enforcement officer in effecting an arrest or in preventing an escape from custody is justified in using deadly force:

(2) When he reasonably believes that such use of deadly force is immediately necessary to effect the arrest and also reasonably believes that the person to be arrested

(a) Has committed or attempted to commit a felony; or

(b) Is attempting to escape by use of a deadly weapon; or

(c) May otherwise endanger life or inflict serious physical injury unless arrested without delay.








It’s really pretty straightforward — a police officer can use deadly force when it’s necessary to prevent bodily injury or death,” said David Klinger, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of Missouri, St. Louis.

State laws on use of force differ slightly. But all are informed by seminal U.S. Supreme Court cases. The first, Tennessee v. Garner, decided in 1985, established the principle that a police officer could, in fact, inflict deadly force on a fleeing suspect if the officer had probable cause to believe that the suspect poses significant threat of death or injury to the officer or others.

The second case, Graham v. Connor, decided four years later, established the standard by which a jury is to judge an officer’s actions. That is, jurors are to ask whether an officer’s actions are “objectively reasonable in light of the facts and circumstances confronting them.”

The court held that “reasonableness” of a particular use of force must be judged from the “perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene.” Jurors, the court said, should account for the fact that police officers are often forced to make split-second decisions