If he actually said to the grand jury what he told a St. Louis newspaper, this reported eyewitness to the shooting of Michael Brown may have just provided testimony that helps clear police officer Darren Wilson.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports today on its extensive interview with a man who says he testified before the Ferguson grand jury investigating whether Wilson should be indicted in the killing of Brown.
Advertisement-content continues below
This man, says the newspaper article, claims that he saw first-hand something that would contradict what other so-called witnesses to the crime have insisted happened on that fateful day in August.
Some have said Brown raised his arms high in surrender, giving rise to a common protesters’ chant of “Hands up, don’t shoot” while mimicking the move. But this witness said Brown never put his hands straight up, but held his elbows straight out from his torso, with palms turned up in a sort of gesture of disbelief.
The chant of “hands up, don’t shoot” has become a favorite of Ferguson protestors and political activists who argue that officer Wilson shot Brown even though the unarmed teen was trying to give himself up.
This eyewitness account that Brown put his hands out to his sides but never raised them high, as reported by the Times-Dispatch, casts serious doubt on that critical aspect of the highly controversial incident.
And that’s not the only thing this supposed grand jury witness said that would call into question the arguments of those who say Brown was shot down in cold blood.
Advertisement-content continues below
Again, from the Times-Dispatch interview with the self-identified eyewitness to the August shooting:
• After an initial scuffle in the car, the officer did not fire until Brown turned back toward him.
• Brown staggered toward Wilson despite commands to stop.
• The two were about 20 to 25 feet apart when the last shots were fired.
The Ferguson grand jury is expected to report its findings in about a month. If officer Wilson is not indicted, some protestors and agitators have threatened even greater violence, as noted by downtrend.com: