“shot at least six times” could have been fewer shots, and 6 hits as some could have pass through arms.
Questions I have: What was this man on? PCP, Heroin?
What kind of ammo was it?
IMHO, Regardless of race, when that big man started coming at me, I would have felt threatened enough to open fire.
I doubt that he was on heroin, it tends to make people a little more mellow. I would guess a central nervous stimulant would contribute to Brown’s aggressiveness given that he was facing an armed officer.
Think of it this way: 35 ft is a little over ten yards. An athletic kid -- even the size of Brown -- could cover that distance in about 2 seconds. That's not a lot of time for a LEO to retreat to safety.