Hundreds gathered Tuesday night at the Greater St. Mark Family Church, 9950 Glen Owen Dr., in Ferguson, Missouri to support the family of Michael Brown.
Michael Brown, 18, was unarmed when he was shot multiple times and killed by a Ferguson police officer on Saturday around noon in the 2900 Block of Canfield Drive at the Canfield Green Apartment Complex. He died at the scene, and police left his corpse lying on the street for four hours.
St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar held a press conference Sunday morning at the Ferguson Fire Department regarding the tragic incident that has garnered national and international attention. Witnesses and the police department have given sharply conflicting reports of the incident.
According to Belmar, the officer had an encounter on the street with Brown and his friend, 22-year-old Dorian Johnson. Johnson told local news stations that he and the victim were walking along the street when a patrol car approached them. Johnson claimed the officer cursed at them and told them to get on the sidewalk.
“We told the officer that we were not but a minute away from our destination and we were sure to be off the street,” he said.
Police officials claimed the officer – who still had been identified by press time – exited his vehicle and was pushed back into the patrol car where a struggle allegedly ensued over the officer’s weapon.
“There was at least one shot fired inside the car,” Belmar said at Sunday’s press conference.
Police claim no video record of the event was made.
Eyewitness accounts by Johnson and others differ on all points with the official version.
Piaget Crenshaw told local news stations that she witnessed the officer chase after the victim “full-force” and the victim “ran for his life,” she said.
“He put his arms up to let them know that he was compliant,” she said, but was shot twice more. Then, she said, “he fell to the ground and died.”
Although more than a few shell casings were recovered from the scene, Belmar said that he was unsure of the exact amount of times the victim was struck by gunfire. He did acknowledge that it was “more than a couple.”
Witnesses say Brown was shot at least eight times. No police report or autopsy have been released.
Belmar said it took a long time to process the crime scene. Brown’s lifeless body remained in the middle of the street for four hours, according to outraged witnesses.
Photos of his body were widely distributed on social media – some without a white sheet covering the corpse. The victim’s parents, Michael Brown Sr. and Lesley McSpadden, have requested that the photos be removed.
The medical examiner began conducting an investigation Sunday. Autopsy results could take as long as six weeks pending toxicology results, Belmar said. The community has cried foul, demanding that the officer also be given a toxicology test.
The St. Louis County Bureau of Crimes Against Persons Unit will conduct an independent investigation. When the investigation is complete, Belmar said, the facts and circumstances will be turned over to St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert P. McCulloch. McCulloch will determine whether or not charges should be filed.
However, Attorney General Eric Holder has opened what he called “a concurrent, federal inquiry” into the case by the Department of Justice. Cheryl Mimura, a spokeswoman for the FBI’s St. Louis field office, said the agency opened an investigation Monday into possible civil rights violations that led to the victim’s death.
The officer involved in the shooting is a six-year veteran with no prior incidents and is on paid administrative leave, Belmar said. The officer has not been identified due to safety concerns, police officials said.
Florida attorney Benjamin L. Crump and local attorney Anthony Gray are representing the family of Michael Brown. Crump represented the family of 17-year-old shooting victim Trayvon Martin.
On the steps of the Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis, Crump addressed local and national media Tuesday afternoon. He was joined by civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton.
Gray said he expects a transparent and open investigation into the circumstances surrounding Michael Brown’s death. Not releasing the officer’s name is not an act of transparency and it certainly doesn’t build the community’s confidence, Crump said. He said the family wants the name of the officer released. A court order would force the department to release the officer’s name, Crump said.
“The local authorities have put themselves in a position where people will not trust anything but an objective investigation,” Rev. Sharpton said.
Gray has asked the public to come forward with any information or evidence that could assist federal investigators.
“His life was taken by the very people that were supposed to protect him,” Crump said Tuesday at Greater St. Mark.
Follow this reporter on Twitter: @BridjesONeil. Email this reporter: boneil@stlamerican.com.
