One simple question for the ferguson deniers. Why Did Brown Stop?

[Garion_55]

To me, the answer to this simple question settles this whole issue.

Everyone agrees that something happened at the car, a shot rang out and that brown and his friend started running away. Even the lady on the radio who supports the cop agrees with all of that.

Here is where the cop rises or falls. The lady on the radio said that the cop yelled 'FREEZE' and thats why brown stopped running and turned around.

MY question is, why in Gods name would brown stop running, when he was getting away and was not far from his home, simply because the cop yelled at him? Does anyone really believe that a young black teen is EVER going to stop running from the cops simply because the cop yelled at him? with nothing else going on? Out of courtesy and respect for the officer? To me that doesnt sound credible.

The witnesses claim that the cop was firing AT brown (they thought brown had been hit, evidence shows that the shots, if fired, missed brown) and that brown either was struck or knew he was being shot at so he stopped and turned to give up.


So I ask these knuckle draggers so eager to turn this into a black vs white thing and not an abuse of power thing, If the evidence shows that the cop did indeed shoot AT brown when brown was running away, would you STILL consider that self defense and justifiable use of force or can we finally at that point agree that the cop over stepped his bounds and killed this kid probably out of rage?

[Arkansas Granny]

1. People will believe what they want to believe.

Some of the people I work with made up their minds early on that if you rob a store, punch a cop causing facial injuries, try to take his gun and then try to head butt him, you deserve to be shot. I ask them: "If someone has already fired at you, striking you 4-5 times, how likely are you to rush him and try to head butt him?" "Is it possible that instead of trying to run toward the officer that the final shot entered the top of his head while he was falling?" Their minds are so closed that they can't even consider another possibility.

[frylock]

2. shit, you have people on this site that believe he dropped down to a three-point stance..

to rush the QB.

[krawhitham]

3. Maybe Brown stop running because he was afraid of getting shot in the back

[justiceischeap]

4. Racist statement much => that a young black teen is EVER going to stop running from the cops

You may want to rethink your phrasing of your point because you make it sound like any black teen-ager is going to take a chance to run from the police.

As to your point, I think Brown turned around to raise his hands, hoping if he "surrendered" the cop would stop shooting him. It's not believable to think any human being running for their lives would then run back towards the person trying to kill them.

[Garion_55]

6. i tried to word that carefully.

the point being was that if a teen has already decided to run from the police (i said black teen because he was in this case but it could be a teen of any race.) would that teen stop running just because a cop tells him to? im white as can be and when i was a teen i ran from the police a couple times. nothing those cops were yelling at me was going to get me to stop. it would have taken getting shot at for me to quit running.

i dont see how anyone who is running would stop just cuz a cop yells at you to do it.

[Lurks Often]

5. Tennessee v. Garner specifies when a police officer can shoot a fleeing felon

"when a law enforcement officer is pursuing a fleeing suspect, he or she may use deadly force to prevent escape only if the officer has probable cause to believe that the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_v._Garner

IF Brown had struck Wilson, then it was felony assault on a police officer. I want to see the medical records showing proof that Wilson was injured.

Presuming for the purposes of discussion Brown did indeed strike Wilson and grab for Wilson's gun, then by the standards set by Garner Vs Tennessee, Wilson MAY have had the legal justification to shoot.

Personally I don't think he should have shoot at Brown running away even if Brown did try to grab his gun and strike him.

[uponit7771]

7. +1