Michael Brown Autopsy Report Suggests ‘Significant Altercation’ with Officer
The autopsy results for Michael Brown, whose death at the hands of a police officer generated a firestorm of racial controversy, revealed evidence that strongly supports Officer Darren Wilson‘s account of the shooting.
The St. Louis Dispatch obtained the results of the autopsy, which noted a gunshot wound on his hand at close range, and analyzed it with two independent experts not involved with the autopsy. “The officer had told investigators that Brown had struggled for Wilson’s pistol inside a police SUV and that Wilson had fired the gun twice, hitting Brown once in the hand. Later, Wilson fired additional shots that killed Brown,” recapped the paper.
Crucially, the autopsy found this (emphasis ours), which contradicts some key witness accounts:
[Dr. Judy Melinek, a forensic pathologist in San Francisco] also said the autopsy did not support witnesses who have claimed Brown was shot while running away from Wilson, or with his hands up.
She said Brown was facing Wilson when Brown took a shot to the forehead, two shots to the chest and a shot to the upper right arm. The wound to the top of Brown’s head would indicate he was falling forward or in a lunging position toward the shooter; the shot was instantly fatal.
A sixth shot that hit the forearm traveled from the back of the arm to the inner arm, which means Brown’s palms could not have been facing Wilson, as some witnesses have said, Melinek said. That trajectory shows Brown probably was not taking a standard surrender position with arms above the shoulders and palms out when he was hit, she said.
The toxicology report also found marijuana in Brown’s system. Read the full report here.
[Image via file]
