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Updated Aug. 18, 2014 12:58 a.m. ET
Michael Brown,
the unarmed 18-year-old whose shooting by a police officer set
off more than a week of unrest in Ferguson, Mo., was struck by at least
six bullets, including two to the head, according to a former New York
City medical examiner.
The autopsy
results came as a march protesting Mr. Brown's Aug. 9 death erupted in
chaos Sunday night when police forced back demonstrators in a cloud of
smoke and a hail of sizzling canisters.
Michael
M. Baden, who conducted a second, private autopsy Sunday for the Brown
family, said wounds to the head and brain were the likely cause of
death.
"There were at least six entry
wounds, there might have been seven, but we'll have to correlate that
with what was found in the first autopsy," he said. The first autopsy
was conducted by the St. Louis County Medical Examiner's office. The
U.S. Justice Department announced Sunday that it ordered its own
autopsy.
Dr. Baden said all of the
gunshots were fired toward the front of Mr. Brown's body. The results of
the autopsy were first reported by the New York Times.
One person was shot and seven were arrested for failing
to disperse early Sunday morning in Ferguson, when an encounter between
police and protesters became violent. Photo: Associated Press
The retreat by marchers after a
weeklong protest campaign set off widespread vandalism and shots were
fired, but it wasn't known by whom. Several storefront windows were
shattered along West Florissant Avenue, a major thoroughfare in
Ferguson. Police appeared to have cordoned off a large stretch of the
avenue Sunday night.
Officers battled
with crowds, including at a corner gas station where police came under
fire after taunts by onlookers, officials said. The officers apparently
responded with some type of device that triggered a loud boom. It was
unclear whether there were injuries.
The
police action began at about 9 p.m. shortly after hundreds of marchers
reached a roadblock near a mall that held the police command center. A
state highway patrol official told CNN that its command post was being
overrun and officers were roughed up before responding.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson speaks
during a rally Sunday at Greater Grace Church in Ferguson, Mo.
Charlie Riedel/Associated Press
The abrupt end to what appeared to be
a peaceful march left some at the head of the crowd baffled and angry
by the police response.
Ashley Rhodes,
24 years old, of Pine Line, said she had been halfway down West
Florissant when the march fell under a hailstorm of smoke canisters.
"They just ran up all on us. We had no warning," she said.
Police
used a bullhorn to briefly warn marchers to retreat. But the response
was much more extreme compared with other nights since Mr. Brown's
death.
The teen was struck once in the
top of head, once in the forehead and four times in the arm, Dr. Baden
said. Some of the shots to his arm went through the limb and entered his
chest and lungs, according to Dr. Baden, who served for 25 years in the
medical examiner's office in New York City and another 25 years with
the New York State Police before entering private practice.
An overflow crowd outside a church in Ferguson, Mo., where civil-rights and community leaders spoke on Sunday.
Reuters
A woman dances during church services at the Greater St. Mark Family Church in Ferguson, Mo., on Sunday.
Reuters
Dr. Baden said he conducted his examination of Mr. Brown pro bono at the request of the family.
Dr.
Baden said there was no residue of gunpowder on the body, indicating
the shots weren't necessarily taken at close range, but that would have
to be confirmed by an examination of Mr. Brown's clothing.
There were no wounds indicative of blows from some type of physical altercation, Dr. Baden said.
Mr.
Brown was about 6 foot 5 and weighed 285 to 290 pounds, Dr. Baden said.
"He was a large fellow," he said. "He had the build of a football
player."
Earlier on Sunday, Capt.
Ron Johnson
of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, who is now in charge of
efforts to keep protests peaceful and to prevent looting, got a standing
ovation when he walked on to the stage at Greater Grace Church in
Ferguson to address citizens. "I should stand up and say, 'I'm sorry,' "
Capt. Johnson, who is black, told the Brown family. He said the recent
violence had left his heart heavy, with "tears to my eyes and shame to
my heart."
When he finished speaking, someone cried out: "We love you Capt. Johnson!"
At
that church and in others in Ferguson, the community sought to heal
Sunday. Missouri Gov.
Jay Nixon
said that authorities would continue to impose a nightly curfew
indefinitely. Continued rage over Mr. Brown's death sparked another
early morning of clashes between police and protesters Sunday. One
person was listed in critical condition with gunshot injuries.
Capt.
Johnson, who took over responsibility for security in Ferguson on
Thursday, said early on he would enforce order in the protest area
without resorting to tear gas or heavy-handed tactics. But he defended
the use of tear gas to enforce the curfew early Sunday, as did the
governor.
"We are trying to use the
least amount of force to provide people the ability to speak while also
protecting the property of the people of Ferguson," Mr. Nixon told CNN
Sunday morning.
St. Louis County
Prosecuting Attorney
Robert McCulloch,
who is investigating Mr. Brown's death, could present evidence to
a grand jury as early as this week, said his executive assistant,
Edward Magee.
Why don't we stop tv. Coverage of the problems in fergerson,may cut down on a lot of people looking to get on tv.
ReplyDeleteSee what happens when you attack a police officer.just stay up in north st.louis were blacks or shooting blacks with out any problem!
ReplyDelete