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Tag: Officer Darren Wilson

  • Ferguson Grand Jury Decision Reached: Darren Wilson NOT To Be Indicted [BREAKING]

    According to reports, the Ferguson grand jury has made a decision in the matter of Officer Darren Wilson and his fatal shooting of 18-year-old Mike Brown.

    Crowds of protesters in Ferguson, Mo. and anxious Americans across the country await word of their decision.

    There are fears that regardless of the outcome, the city will be gripped with violent protests and rioting not seen since the weeks proceeding Brown’s death.

    The longer it took for the grand jury to reach a decision, the more tension mounted in the community.

    Fear of violence has head many businesses to close and to board up their establishments to prevent possible destruction and looting.

    President Obama asked that whatever protest does occur be peaceful.

    In order to minimize potential harm to children, the schools were given word of the grand jury’s decision ahead of anyone else.

    It was reported that the Ferguson-Florissant School District has moved to cancel Tuesday classes for safety reasons.

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    Post by Ferguson-Florissant School District.

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    There is heavy speculation as to what the grand jury’s decision will be, but Mike Brown’s family is reportedly considering various avenues in their pursuit of justice for their deceased son.

    Considering the racially charged nature of the crime and response, it is of little surprise that Americans who are emotionally invested in the outcome of this case are divided along racial lines: Fifty-four percent non-whites polled by CNN felt he was guilty and should be indicted for murder, while just 23% of white Americans polled agreed.

    However, one thing that most persons polled agreed on was that if Darren Wilson were not arrested, peaceful protests should be allowed.

    UPDATE 6:14 PM The grand jury decision as to whether or not Officer Darren Wilson is to be indicted will be announced at 9:00 PM EST.

    UPDATE 8:35 PM As of a few moments ago, Mike Brown’s family has not been informed of the grand jury decision.

    Possibility they won’t learn until it’s officially announced at around 9:00 pm.

    UPDATE 9:11 PM Reminder, there is NO official decision as of right now. Early word claiming there will be no indictment, but there are no confirmed reports of this as the grand jury decision.

    UPDATE 9:27 PM OFFICIAL. The grand jury has decided against indictment of officer Darren Wilson. According to Prosecutor Robert McCulloch, the grand jury did not find sufficient evidence that would allow for a murder case.

    UPDATE 9:34 PM

    A statement has been released by the Brown family:

  • Michael Brown Verdict Has Ferguson on Edge as Law Enforcement and Residents Prepare For Violence

    The impending grand jury verdict in the shooting death of Ferguson, Missouri teenager Michael Brown has the city on edge as it prepares for violence.

    City, state and national authorities are combining forces to prepare for the demonstrations that are likely to ensue following the announcement.

    The grand jury is deciding whether to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson after fatally shot Brown last August. Racial tensions have been heightened for months becaue Wilson is white and Brown was black.

    According to ABC News, stores are boarding up windows and civil rights groups are holding non-violence training sessions to prepare.

    City officials fear the grand jury’s decision could lead to public outbursts no matter which way the jury rules, but are more concerned that the grand jury will decide against indicting Wilson.

    Benjamin Crump, a Brown family attorney, pleaded with protesters to remain non-violent and asked for police restraint.

    “To law enforcement officers who will be patrolling the streets, we would like to thank you in advance for not having a repeat” of the tactics that critics said were heavy handed.

    Residents of Ferguson are just as nervous as law enforcement, especially gun shop owners.

    “We’re hearing some rather specific threats through law enforcement and customers coming in the store,” John Stephenson, the general manager of Metro Shooting Supplies in nearby Bridgeton, told ABC News. “I can’t take them as cast in concrete, but word is on the street they’re going to be hitting gun stores.”

    Stephenson said the store has seen a 300 percent increase in sales in recent weeks. He said he fears his store will be targeted because “very small segment of our society, the people that choose to misbehave,” will try to rob the stores for ammunition.

    “More and more people have gotten to the point where they’re going to take matters into their hands,” Stephenson said.

    Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, who declared a state of emergency in anticipation of violence, said this week he is determined to make sure riots like those that occurred in August are not repeated.

    “Violence will not be tolerated,” Nixon said. “The residents and businesses of this region will be protected.”

  • Piaget Crenshaw Releases Video Evidence in Michael Brown Case

    There is perhaps no bigger news story in the United States at the current moment than the case of Michael Brown – a Ferguson, Mo teen who was gunned-down by a police officer in broad daylight a little more than a week ago. The decision to fire upon Brown has been questioned by many witnesses, most of whom state that Brown was posing no threat to the officer and was actually running away when the officer opened fire and eventually killed the 18-year-old.

    Thus far, not much has been offered in terms of evidence besides many witness statements of what occurred that fateful day. A recently released autopsy report shows that Brown was shot anywhere from six to eight times, with the fatal wound coming from a shot which entered the top of the skull. Brown was shot once more in the face and four more times in his right arm.

    While the autopsy confirms witness reports that Brown was shot multiple times, it does nothing to clarify what actually occurred before the shots were fired. Unfortunately, video evidence released by witness Piaget Crenshaw does not shine any light on the confrontation, either:

    The video was taken with Crenshaw’s cell phone shortly after Brown was shot by Officer Darren Wilson. In the video, Crenshaw can be heard muttering, “God bless his soul. Police shot this boy outside my apartment.”

    In an exclusive interview with CNN, Crenshaw reports that she witnessed the entirety of the altercation despite the fact that her video starts after Brown was shot. When asked why she decided to film what had happened, Crenshaw responded:

    I knew this was not right, I knew police should not even have been chasing this young boy and firing at the same time. That fact that he got shot in the face, it was something that clicked in me, I thought, somebody else needs to see this. This isn’t right.

    According to Crenshaw, there was a struggle between Brown and Officer Wilson at the window of Wilson’s car in which it appeared as if Brown was trying to push away from the vehicle. Once free from Wilson, Brown ran away from the officer, at which point the officer began firing at Brown. Once Brown raised his hands and turned around to surrender, Officer Wilson allegedly continued to shoot, hitting Brown multiple times.

    The incident as reported by Crenshaw remains consistent with the reports from Tiffany Mitchell, Crenshaw’s coworker who also saw the incident, and Dorian Johnson, Brown’s friend who was with him during the altercation.

    Their descriptions of the events differ drastically from the events as recalled by a supposed friend of Officer Wilson, who called into radio station KFTK to provide the officer’s side of the story:

    He [Officer Wilson] pulled up ahead of them [Brown and Johnson]. And then he got a call-in that there was a strong-arm robbery. And, they gave a description…Tries to get out of his car. They slam his door shut violently. I think he said Michael did. And, then he opened the car again. He tried to get out. He stands up.

    And then Michael just bum-rushes him and shoves him back into his car. Punches him in the face and them Darren grabs for his gun. Michael grabbed for the gun. At one point he got the gun entirely turned against his hip. And he shoves it away. And the gun goes off.

    Well, then Michael takes off and gets to be about 35 feet away. And, Darren’s first protocol is to pursue. So, he stands up and yells, ”Freeze!” Michael and his friend turn around.

    And Michael taunts him… And then all the sudden he just started bum-rushing him. He just started coming at him full speed… So [Wilson] really thinks [Brown] was on something, because he just kept coming. It was unbelievable. And so he finally ended up, the final shot was in the forehead, and then he fell about two to three feet in front of the officer.

    Currently, a grand jury is awaiting to hear eye-witness testimony to decide whether or not to return an indictment on the case. Not only is a local investigation underway, but Attorney General Eric Holder has also announced that 40 FBI agents are currently conducting a civil rights investigation into the shooting.