Posted on 08/20/2014 9:21:11 AM PDT by Kaslin
WASHINGTON - The languorous dog days of August were shattered this week by the tragic, shooting death of an unarmed black teenager in a little town in Missouri.
Hundreds of youths are shot and killed each year in our country. More than 100 were gunned down in gangland or drive-by shootings in Chicago alone in just one year. But the death of Michael Brown, who just graduated from high school and hoped to pursue higher education, has seized the nation's attention like no other.
The still-murky shooting episode by a Ferguson, Mo. police officer, which raised more questions than answers, shoved aside all other big news events -- from a repelled Russian convoy incursion across Ukraine's borders to the widening U.S. air combat role in Iraq to halt the Islamic State terrorist advances on the Kurdish capital of Irbil.
As civil unrest spread in Ferguson, President Obama interrupted his two week vacation on Martha's Vineyard, flying back to Washington for hastily-arranged briefings and a White House news conference.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. planned to fly to the St. Louis suburb later this week to oversee the federal investigation. A 40-member team of FBI investigators were already on the ground, going door to door, gathering facts about the shooting. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, has called out the National Guard to back up local and state police to restore order within the community where tensions remain high.
Still, the slowly emerging investigation raised a host of questions about the multiple gun shots into Brown's body. He was riddled by at least six bullets fired from a distance of more than 30 feet from the officer's police car, after the two men had reportedly engaged in a struggle.
Why had Ferguson police been so slow to provide any details of the shooting, including an accounting of the officer's story? Why had they hidden his identity until forced by circumstances to reveal it?
They had quickly released a shadowy surveillance video and an accounting of a convenience store theft of some cigars, allegedly by Brown. But not a report, however preliminary, of when and in what way the officer responded when he saw Brown walking down the center of the street with a friend.
There were suspicions the local police were withholding crucial details as the shooting triggered days of protests and unrest that included looting of many downtown stores. Looters were, appropriately, arrested, charged and jailed.
Gov. Nixon apparently concluded that the local police were part of the problem when he effectively relieved the St. Louis County Police of the task of handling protesters, sending in state highway police who attempted to calm things down and restore order.
In the aftermath of the shooting, events turned chaotic with local, state and federal authorities at the scene of the crime, but with no one authority directing or coordinating the overall investigation.
Three separate autopsies have been conducted, which, in addition to the multiple gunshot wounds in Brown's head and body, found traces of marijuana in his system.
Notably, the autopsies indicated he'd been shot from the front. Eyewitness accounts said that was because he had his hands up as he faced the officer, but there were other reports that discounted that.
Other secondary issues arose as well. Critics pointed to the use of military vehicles and high-powered firearms that appeared at the scene, that conveyed a sense of overkill for what had begun as a bungled police apprehension of a single individual who was a robbery suspect.
But those issues were circumstantial distractions. The core issue was why the police officer had to shoot Michael Brown multiple times and kill him.
In confrontations like this one, trained policemen are expected to be able to defuse such situations and subdue suspects who may resist arrest, without restoring to lethal actions.
An attorney for the Brown family said the autopsy exam sought by his family showed he had raised his hands and was "trying to surrender." Forensic pathologists who had examined his body said they could not confirm that.
There were also reports suggesting Brown may have been charging the police officer at the time he was brought down by a flurry of gun shots. That could not be confirmed, either.
Where all of this is going remains frustratingly unclear for the time being. Was this a case of an angry teenager bummed out on pot, who tangled violently with a police officer, walked away but then turned toward him?
Or was something more involved in this confrontation that we do not yet know?
What we do know is that Michael Brown was unarmed, and the police officer had a revolver and no doubt other firearms in a police car that was equipped with a phone to call in reinforcements to bring in a suspect for questioning.
Instead, Brown's body was pumped full of bullet holes, including two through his brain.
Brown was a big, hefty guy. about 6 feet, four and well over 200 pounds. Officer Darren Wilson, a 28-year-old, six year police veteran, was described as "tall and slim."
If a preliminary struggle ensued before the shooting, as was reported, Wilson knew he was outmatched physically.
Still, Wilson had lots of non-lethal options to deal with the situation that he, apparently, did not pursue.
In his news conference Monday, President Obama tried to address the anger, bitterness, grief and confusion that was felt especially throughout the black community, but no doubt throughout our country, too.
A young man needlessly died a violent death when steps could have been taken to prevent that from happening.
"As Americans, we've got to use this moment to seek out our shared humanity that's been laid bare by this moment," Obama said. "The potential of a young man and the sorrows of parents, the frustrations of a community, the ideals that we hold as one united American family."
Whatever one's politics, who can disagree with that?
Adding this moron to my ignore list. Brown escalated this to justifiable deadly force when he sucker punched Wilson and went for his gun - exactly the way Trayvon escalated the situation when he did the same to Zimmerman.
Needlessly? Since when is self-defense needless?
Cops go through psychological assessments, interviews, psychiatrist examinations, lie detector tests; they're pretty solid people. How about we start with this, this individual was stopped for a reason, then displayed aggressive behavior, and now we have a sad ending. Jumping to conclusions and responding with more violence only will bring more skepticism and more violence. The media makes these into race stories and causes so much hatred and anger in society and the city in which the use of force occurs. That is the really sad part. It is the media which perpetuates racism to get a story.
The steps that could have been taken to prevent his death were by the "unarmed" 6'4", 300 pound "teenager" walking in the middle of the street.
Will it now be the duty of police to run from angry hoodlums?
A young man needlessly died a violent death when steps could have been taken to prevent that from happening.
"As Americans, we've got to use this moment to seek out our shared humanity that's been laid bare by this moment," Obama said. "The potential of a young man and the sorrows of parents, the frustrations of a community, the ideals that we hold as one united American family."
Whatever one's politics, who can disagree with that?
Adding this moron to my ignore list.
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Dittoes. Townhall is usually a conservative site. But once in awhile they do post liberal pukeage.
I like the “hoped to pursue higher education”. I have seen several reports that the reporters could not find and actual college he had applied to, and then someone reported that it was a trade school.
But the meme is now that he was going to college in a couple of weeks.
Seems that in order to save the young man, the officer should have allowed himself to be pummeled, had his gun taken, and been shot by the young man. Of course, then the young man would later encounter another police officer, who probably also should have sacrificed himself, so as not to cause the “needless, violent death” of the young man.
UGGGH
Wilson had lots of non-lethal options to deal with the situation
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of course he did...
Remind me again what they were ???
These reports seem to omit when the BOLO came out with the description of the robber of the convenience store. From what I understand at some point in the melee Wilson got a descriptiong of the robber.
The way this is looking, the officer shot to warn, he kept coming, then shot to wound, he kept coming, then when there was no other choice, killed him. I believe that this is considerably beyond what was expected of him, and “by the book”, not the recommended course of action. The recommended course of action, was to drop him immediately.
Who is this Lambro and why does Town Hall have someone so slow and uninformed writing for them?
But not incapable of battery, or inflicting great harm - as the blown-out eye socket of the officer indicates
and the police officer had a revolver
From what I have seen reported, it was a semi-automatic pistol, not a revolver.
and no doubt other firearms in a police car that was equipped with a phone to call in reinforcements to bring in a suspect for questioning.
Yes, let's call while in the process of defending from an attack from outside the vehicle, while I'm still in the vehicle.
Instead, Brown's body was pumped full of bullet holes, including two through his brain.
Pumped full? No bias there.
Brown was a big, hefty guy. about 6 feet, four and well over 200 pounds.
No, he was 6' 4" and just under 300 lbs (in the 290s).
Officer Darren Wilson, a 28-year-old, six year police veteran, was described as "tall and slim."
I've seen reports putting him under 200 lbs, so there was approximately a 100 lb difference between the two.
If a preliminary struggle ensued before the shooting, as was reported, Wilson knew he was outmatched physically.
Yes, which is why he was armed.
Still, Wilson had lots of non-lethal options to deal with the situation that he, apparently, did not pursue.
According to many witnesses, after the original assault/battery (broken eye socket) while in the vehicle, Officer Wilson attempted an arrest, within seconds, the now-deceased Michael Brown rushed him. How far away was back-up? How long until support arrived? This was someone who had just assaulted an officer, was on foot, and rushed an officer in a second attempted attack. The officer was attempting an arrest, and was rushed by someone who had just shown a great lack of care for right and wrong, a willingness to assault a cop, and a potential to cause further grave injury or death.
Yeah, Officer Wilson should have just stood there and made nice.
non lethal options:
friended him on Facebook
It’s 296lbs, not 200 (”tall and slim” my Aunt Fanny!) and we don’t yet know what other drugs were in his system because testing for them takes longer than for marijuana. Also, did Sergeant Wilson actually have a “revolver” and if so, isn’t he just about the last policeman in this country to carry one? And exactly what “non-lethal” options did Sergeant Wilson have at his disposal, Donald?
Oh, of course.
Thanks for the commentary, Donald "Smug ***hole" Lambro.
Do you have any opinions of how Peyton Manning could have prepared better for the Superbowl?
A more perceptive writer might have thought to wonder how that came to be.
I swear every time I read or hear that this thug was "unarmed" I get another gray hair!!
He WAS armed - with his fists, feet and imposing size. How was it he injured the police officer if he were "unarmed."?
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