Download The Michael Brown Shooting and Eyewitness Testimony and more Thesis Business Accounting in PDF only on Docsity! CJ 402 Ferguson, MO and the Michael Brown Shooting Grantham University CJ 402 If I were looking at only the facts of the Michael Brown shooting, then it would be clear that Officer Wilson was attempting to subdue Mr. Brown to prevent him from fleeing the scene. Acting on the information he was given about a robbery that was happening. Officer Wilson was not sure if Michael Brown was the person that committed or was committing the crime, but he fit the description and was a suspect at that time. There were reports that Michael Brown physically assaulted Officer Wilson while the Officer was inside of his vehicle. The only thing that Officer Wilson was able to reach to protect himself was his firearm, at which time he shot Michael Brown in his hand. Following being shot in his hand, Michael Brown started running away from the scene and Officer Wilson gave chase. At some point during the pursuit, Mr. Brown started to come towards Officer Wilson. Officer Wilson fired his firearm at least ten times out of fear that Mr. Brown had a weapon in the waist of his pants. This case went before the Grand Jury at which time the members of the Grand Jury decided that it was not necessary to go further with the indictment of Officer Wilson for the shooting death of Michael Brown. This case gained national attention and due to this, the United States Department of Justice made a report that cleared Officer Wilson of all charges. Looking at the facts of the case, Officer Wilson was acting out of fear for his own safety and not malicious intent. I do not believe that any of us know what we would do if we were in a situation where our lives may be in danger. Though there were a lot of witnesses that came forward in favor of Michael Brown, they later changed their stories which favored Officer Wilson’s position on the shooting. In studying eyewitness testimony, it is obvious that in moments of intense pressure, people can have a distorted view of the events happening around them. Once the smoke clears and they think about the events of that day, they may see more clearly the true facts of that day. Stress has a way of clouding our view of things that are happening around us whether good or bad. Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S 386, 109 S. Ct, is a case that is comparable to the Michael Brown shooting. The law enforcement officer in this case had probable cause for his search and arrest of the suspect. In the Michael Brown case, Officer Wilson had probable cause to investigate Michael Brown because of the robbery that was taking place in the area. Michael Brown was stopped by Officer Wilson, who was acting in the capacity of his job to investigate a crime. During this time, his job was to ask questions and gain clarity on if Michael Brown were involved in a crime and it escalated to a point that could have been avoided had Mr. Brown complied. Though we do not know why Michael Brown’s actions were what they were, I do think he would be alive with his family had he been calm. What this case did do with all the news outlets covering the story was allow for investigations into the police department. This investigation found numerous violations that dealt with large numbers of African American people being pulled over, receiving tickets, and being arrested without good reason. It became clear that there was an issue of ethics within this department. Despite what the media and eyewitness statements reported, Michael Brown was not shot in his back, but in his torso meaning that he was not running away from the officer in fear of his
