This article is about the shooting of Michael Brown. For the protests that followed, see 2014 Ferguson unrest. Page protected Shooting of Michael Brown St. Louis County Missouri Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Ferguson Highlighted.svg Location of Ferguson, Missouri, within St. Louis County, and St. Louis County within Missouri Time 12:01 p.m. – 12:03 p.m. Date Saturday, August 9, 2014 Location Ferguson, Missouri, U.S. Coordinates 38.73847°N 90.27387°WCoordinates: 38.73847°N 90.27387°W[1] Participants Darren Wilson (police officer) Michael Brown (deceased) Dorian Johnson (accompanied Brown) Deaths Michael Brown The shooting of Michael Brown occurred on August 9, 2014, in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Brown, an 18-year-old black man, was fatally shot by Darren Wilson, 28, a white Ferguson police officer. The disputed circumstances of the shooting and the resultant protests and civil unrest received considerable attention in the U.S. and abroad, and sparked a vigorous debate about law enforcements relationship with African-Americans, and police use of force doctrine in Missouri and nationwide. Shortly before the shooting, Brown robbed a nearby convenience store, stole several cigarillos, and shoved the store clerk. Wilson had been notified by police dispatch of the robbery and the suspects description. He encountered Brown and Dorian Johnson as they were walking down the middle of the street blocking traffic. Although Wilsons initial contact with Brown and Johnson was unrelated to the robbery, Wilson said that he recognized that the two men matched the robbery suspect descriptions.[2][3] Wilson backed up his cruiser and blocked them. An altercation ensued with Brown and Wilson struggling through the window of the police vehicle until Wilsons gun was fired. Brown and Johnson then fled, with Wilson in pursuit of Brown, eventually firing at him several more times. In the entire altercation, Wilson fired a total of twelve rounds;[4] the last was probably the fatal shot.[5][6][7] Brown was unarmed. Witness reports differed as to whether and when Brown had his hands raised, and whether he was moving toward Wilson when the final shots were fired. The shooting sparked unrest in Ferguson, in part due to the belief among many that Brown was surrendering, as well as longstanding racial tensions between the majority-black population and the majority-white city government and police.[8] Protests, both peaceful and violent, along with vandalism and looting, continued for more than a week, resulting in night curfews. The response of area police agencies in dealing with the protests received significant criticism from the media and politicians. There were concerns over insensitivity, tactics and a militarized response. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon ordered local police organizations to cede much of their authority to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Mainly peaceful protests continued for several weeks. Robert P. McCulloch, the Prosecuting Attorney for St. Louis County, Missouri, decided to bring the case in front of a grand jury to determine whether there was probable cause to indict Wilson for his actions. On November 24, McCulloch announced that the jury had decided not to indict Wilson.[9] Legal analysts raised concerns over McCullochs unorthodox approach, asserting that this process could have influenced the grand jury to decide not to indict,[10][11] and highlighted significant differences between a typical grand jury proceeding in Missouri and Wilsons case.[12] In September, Eric Holder, the U.S. Attorney General, launched a federal investigation of the Missouri citys police force to examine whether officers routinely engaged in racial profiling or showed a pattern of excessive force.[13] On December 1, U.S. President Barack Obama announced that the federal government will spend $75 million on body cameras for law enforcement officers, as one of the measures taken in response to the shooting.[
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 21:46:57 +0000
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