Gunpowder residue found on 18-year-old in St. Louis police shooting

[freshwest]

80. My first impression on this story, before going to the link matches the link:

Last edited Wed Oct 15, 2014, 06:06 AM - Edit history (1)

“Individuals shot at close range can have gunshot residue deposited onto their hands,” the statement said. “The presence of gunshot residue on the jeans and shirt could be from being in the environment of a discharged weapon or coming in contact with an object with gunshot residue on it.”

If the officer (who was not a police officer acting as law enforcement but as a private security guard) was upclose or the young man held his hands up, it might account for the GSR.

And we are speculating from what is in media reports and not the official reports nor what would be used in a trial. We still don't know, no reason for the vitriol down thread.

This may mean nothing at all to culpability when it's fully reviewed, and we probably will not get all the facts to discuss it even then.

Until then, we still obliged to regard this shooting with great suspicion.

EDIT for branford: The company the shooter worked for also has a record of not following the best practices. Companies do not pay out settlements to make people happy. See the link:

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/oct/11/security-firm-involved-in-st-louis-shooting-has-history-of-lawsuits

The young man who is dead, whether or not he was the criminal some say he was, cannot speak for himself now.

And the grief of his family and the harm to POC for centuries of terrorism committed against them in the USA will play a factor.

EDIT for branford: I did NOT say the factor would be in play at the trial. The grief of his parents didn't do a thing for Trayvon Martin's trial (he was clearly on trial in the media, while Zimmermann was lionized) and it hasn't even effected an arrest in the Michael Brown case. But it is a matter in the court of public opinion, and ubiquitous. And the context of that statement is:

A social revolution at the ballot box is the only way to change this, but only after people first admit there is a systematic problem. This is not part of the 'post racial' society that some may want to view this event in.

EDIT for branford: coming in contact with an object with gunshot residue on it may very well mean his hands had GSR and he put them in his pants.

And anyone can be viewed with suspicion. No one gets a free pass in matters of life and death. EOM.