Michael Brown Autopsy Results
Frances Robles and Julie Bosman report for The New York Times that Michael Brown was shot at least six times, including twice in the head, according to a preliminary private autopsy performed on Sunday:
One of the bullets entered the top of Mr. Brown's skull, suggesting his head was bent forward when it struck him and caused a fatal injury, according to Dr. Michael M. Baden, the former chief medical examiner for the City of New York, who flew to Missouri on Sunday at the family's request to conduct the separate autopsy. It was likely the last of bullets to hit him, he said.Mr. Brown, 18, was also shot four times in the right arm, he said, adding that all the bullets were fired into his front.
The bullets did not appear to have been shot from very close range because no gunpowder was present on his body. However, that determination could change if it turns out that there is gunshot residue on Mr. Brown's clothing, to which Dr. Baden did not have access.
More:
"People have been asking: How many times was he shot? This information could have been released on Day 1," Dr. Baden said in an interview after performing the autopsy. "They don't do that, even as feelings built up among the citizenry that there was a cover-up. We are hoping to alleviate that."Dr. Baden said that while Mr. Brown was shot at least six times, only three bullets were recovered from his body. But he has not yet seen the X-rays showing where the bullets were found, which would clarify the autopsy results. Nor has he had access to witness and police statements.
Dr. Baden provided a diagram of the entry wounds, and noted that the six shots produced numerous wounds. Some of the bullets entered and exited several times, including one that left at least five different wounds.
"This one here looks like his head was bent downward," he said, indicating the wound at the very top of Mr. Brown's head. "It can be because he's giving up, or because he's charging forward at the officer."
He stressed that his information does not assign blame or justify the shooting.
"We need more information; for example, the police should be examining the automobile to see if there is gunshot residue in the police car," he said.
Dr. Baden, 80, is a well-known New York-based medical examiner, who is one of only about 400 board-certified forensic pathologists in the nation. He reviewed the autopsies of both President John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and has performed more than 20,000 autopsies himself.
He is best known for having hosted the HBO show "Autopsy," but he rankles when he is called a "celebrity medical examiner," saying that the vast majority of what he does has nothing to do with celebrities.
Dr. Baden said that because of the tremendous attention to the case, he waived his $10,000 fee.
This Daily Mail story has an eyewitness account recorded by a bystander that they say "casts doubt on claims the teen surrendered to Officer Darren Wilson."
The points at the top of the piece:
•Unnoticed audio recorded in video filmed at scene of Saturday's tragic shooting contradicts claims made by friends of the Missouri teen•The scratchy recording of the conversation between two men seems to suggest that Brown was inside Officer Wilson's car
•Despite being difficult to make out, the conversation suggests that Brown ran towards Wilson before he was shot
•Officer Darren Wilson, 28, was identified as the man who shot Brown on August 9
•Eight nights of rioting and looting have followed since
Police militarization roundup by Walter Olson at Overlawyered. A tweet from @JeffClement:
A few people have pointed it out, but our ROE [Rules of Engagement] regarding who we could point weapons at in Afghanistan was more restrictive than cops in MO.
Why are the cops armed like they're about to storm the beach at Normandy? The Pentagon is giving them weapons.
Nota bene.
The relevance of Brown's alleged criminality.
Crid [CridComment at Gmail] at August 17, 2014 9:33 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2014/08/18/michael_brown_a.html#comment-4952711">comment from Crid [CridComment at Gmail]The essential bit from the Ken White/Popehat link Crid posted:
Amy Alkon at August 17, 2014 10:30 PM
One aspect that I haven't heard mentioned. Police are supposed to have tactics for dealing with situations.
An officer wants to confront two big (6'2", 290lbs) inner city men over something trivial. A competent officer will not do this in a way that can spiral out of control.
There's a very basic rule: never give an order you aren't sure will be obeyed (or that you can enforce). This officer tells the men "get off the street". What, exactly, was he planning to do when they told him f*ck off?
We've got a lousy situation in Ferguson, but it was all sparked by an officer who would seem to be simply incompetent at basic police tactics.
a_random_guy at August 17, 2014 11:46 PM
And here we go again, trying the case in the court of public opinion.
We refuse to learn anything – not from the OJ trial, not from the Zimmerman trial.
On the other hand: is it any less of a government takeover if it happens by small increments?
Militarization of police? Check.
Socialization of medicine? Check.
Government by decree of the nations leader? Check.
Suppression of dissent by government agencies? Check.
Deceptive language in media? Check.
Mandatory searches to travel? Check.
Government control of wages and benefits? In progress.
What nation do you live in?
Radwaste at August 18, 2014 2:29 AM
From the Wall St Journal...
[Thursday] there were discussions among local officials about how to scale back the armed presence, officials said.
Discussions? Seriously, call me. Uh, leave the MRAP, the body armor, and the assault rifles somewhere out of sight.
On another note, telling reporters who are rilming from a distance, who are clearly not interfering to 'get out of the way' or 'get shot with this' is probably not prudent either...
drcos at August 18, 2014 3:54 AM
Looks like Michael Brown's accomplice was lying all along:
"Mr. Johnson said that he hid behind a parked car and that Mr. Brown was struck by a bullet in his back as he ran away, an account that Dr. Baden’s autopsy appears to contradict."
Snoopy at August 18, 2014 4:44 AM
And here we go again, trying the case in the court of public opinion.
How is "did Officer Wilson him have cause to believe that Mike Brown posed a serious physical threat at the moment Wilson pulled the trigger?" or anything else in this blog post or the comments currently under this "trying the case in the court of public opinion."
Amy Alkon at August 18, 2014 5:26 AM
What is mystifying is those who have decided they know what happened beyond that question, since we don't have video of the incident.
Amy Alkon at August 18, 2014 6:06 AM
"We've got a lousy situation in Ferguson, but it was all sparked by an officer who would seem to be simply incompetent at basic police tactics.
Posted by: a_random_guy at August 17, 2014 11:46 PM"
First of all, you have no idea how the whole thing went down.
The "just walking down the street thing" could be as big a lie, as the whole "shot in the back while running away" story was.
I am no fan, of the militarization of the police. I sure don't support no knock raids with swat teams, but I don't believe that second guessing every police shooting that has a racial aspect is going to do much for general peace, and security in this country.
This shooting, and the response to it, by all parties are two separate issues.
Mistakes will be made, by police, by private citizens, and by criminals.
A different policy for police engagement of thugs is not the answer people.
Isab at August 18, 2014 6:17 AM
So we've got several plot lines in this morality play:
1. It does appear that Mike Brown was not a nice guy. As Amy points out, this had no bearing on his rights at the time that he encountered Officer Wilson. However, it might bear on what his frame of mind was, which in turn would bear on how the whole thing went down.
2. Wilson's possible actions (which we really don't know yet) could play into the point that Random was trying to make about threats: one should not make a threat that one cannot carry out, or is not prepared to carry out. We all know that police today seem to do this all the time.
3. The Ferguson police do not have good relations with the community, obviously. It seems that they regarded the original protesters as mortal enemies, and cranked out all of the hardware that they could get their hands on just to make a point.
3.5. The Ferguson police has done its darndest to paper over the whole incident. I still find it difficult to comprehend that, in this day and age, no video has come forward. I have a sneaking suspicion that the police do in fact have video and are keeping it hidden. Arresting and threatening reporters who have tried to cover the story and aren't causing a problem plays into this.
4. The citizenry of Ferguson blew their response big time. Eight days of rioting, when all of that anger could have been channeled into doing something productive about it. They can yell and scream about "righteous anger" all they want. There is nothing righteous about rioting.
5. Did I mention that St. Louis is the armpit of the Midwest?
Cousin Dave at August 18, 2014 6:41 AM
There is a reason autopsy information like this is withheld until the investigation is done. There are reportedly 40 FBI agents canvassing the area for "witnesses." How many, yet to be interviewed "witnesses," are going to say Brown was shot in the back? It has just been made a lot more difficult to weed out the "witnesses" that are going to repeat what they have read in the newspapers. They have just made it more difficult for Wilson to get a fair trial. And we all know he is going to be charged regardless of any evidence of guilt or innocence.
Can Wilson get a fair trial?
As for the rest of it, I learned after the Zimmerman - "White Hispanic" - debacle you will never receive enough accurate information from the press to be able to form any sort of knowledgeable conclusion.
Bill O Rights at August 18, 2014 7:21 AM
At least Officer Wilson had good grouping on his shots. 4 to the arm and 2 to the head, from a distance. He's been taking his time on the range seriously.
bkmale at August 18, 2014 7:22 AM
We've got a lousy situation in Ferguson, but it was all sparked by an officer who would seem to be simply incompetent at basic police tactics.
Its been said before: you don't want to live where the police are the only entity keeping order.
St Louis is the armpit of the Midwest.
On another board, a resident related that Ferguson is the bottom of the barrel for police hiring: low pay and high risk. Compare this to the City: high pay and high risk. Or the wealthy suburbs: high pay, low risk. Or the modest suburbs: low pay, low risk. Since the latter three categories are anxious to burnish their affirmative action image, Black police candidates seldom even apply to Ferguson.
doombuggy at August 18, 2014 7:47 AM
Kind of in answer to 3.5.
Putting out evidence in an ongoing investigation to the potential jury pool is a legal quagmire. I've heard some lawyers complaining about the legality of putting out the convenience store vids.
As to the reporters, they may have not been doing anything at the time of arrest, but I would with this case, have been less reporting news and more inciting violence or inciting a riot.
This whole incident is a goldmine for news reporters and a tragedy/disaster for everyone else.
Corollary to #1. The convenience store, counters the narrative of him being a gentle giant, it shows him willing to get physical or intimidating when opposed by authority figures. Which gives credence to the officer and "witnesses" story that the officer was physically threatened.
Joe j at August 18, 2014 8:01 AM
Frankly, I don't give a shit about what's happening in Ferguson. I just lost two friends this week. I’ve spent countless hours in the ICU unit watching one fight for her life (a battle she lost last night). The other one of which was beaten to death and left to die in the street last week and there are still no suspects in his case. He was a young, white guy though soooo... I guess he didn't meet the outrage standards. But he's gay so MAYBE we can play that card.. but... he can't beat the juicy media coverage of Mike Brown.
I don't believe anyone deserves to have their life taken from them, and certainly believe in the rights of citizens, however, if you live a “thug life” then one shouldn’t be too surprised when that lifestyle comes back to bite you in the ass. And, people were caught LYING about it from day one and yet, no one is stopping to go, “Oops. Maaaaybe be misjudged this one. My bad. Sorry about lighting fire to your business bro.” Nope. Lets just keep with this outrage about the “race war”! That’s the answer. Why use logic? NO! Down with logic! Up with more violence. MOAR VIOLENCE!
Righteous anger my ass. It's another excuse for the animals that are rioting to act like the animals they are.
I'm sick of hearing about these "random police shootings" that are often blown completely out of proportion.
Are there problem officers in the police? Yes.
Are there problem citizens that cause problems for the police? Yes.
How does any of this bullshit rioting and half-ass reporting and overblown media coverage fix this? It doesn't.
BTW... I won't hold my breath for Obama to issue a formal apology about his statement about the case. Maybe Mike Brown could have been his son too.
Sabrina at August 18, 2014 8:40 AM
I'm sick of hearing about these "random police shootings" that are often blown completely out of proportion.
Mark Steyn's take is mine: http://www.steynonline.com/6524/cigars-but-not-close
That the cops a) shoot a kid on a traffic stop, b) are without a camera on the car, and c) are carrying on like this is a war zone and they are soldiers is deeply disturbing. Look at Steyn's numbers on police shootings in this country vs. other ones. It's scandalous.
Astra at August 18, 2014 8:55 AM
@Sabrina. Sorry about your friends and horrible week.
Joe j at August 18, 2014 9:13 AM
It has been reported that Officer Wilson did not know of the robbery at the time he stopped Brown.
But Brown could have believed he was being stopped for the robbery thus causing him to act out in an aggressive way.
Pure conjecture on my part. Of course we will not know until all the facts are in.
Nick at August 18, 2014 9:14 AM
c) are carrying on like this is a war zone and they are soldiers is deeply disturbing..
It IS a war zone. The rioters and looters have made it such.
I can't really argue the other points but that goes more to the point that we don't know what really happened. A LOT of assumptions are being made on nothing more than the fact that a white cop shot a black kid. No one is even considering that the kid might have actually charged at him or tried to get his gun from him. Is it possible that the cop shot innapprioately? Absolutely. And if so, I hope he's dealt with according to the highest extent of the law.
No matter, there is no excuse for the reaction of the "protesters". In doing such, they've pretty much just made themselves out to be exactly the sterotype that they are claiming to be fighting against... animals. They did this to themselves.
When someone can explain to me why Brown matters more than my friend who was killed in cold blood, I'll start giving a shit about Ferguson. Until then, forgive me if I can't muster any sympathy for a bunch of lawbreakers, vandals, and theives.
Sabrina at August 18, 2014 10:11 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2014/08/18/michael_brown_a.html#comment-4953928">comment from SabrinaNo one is even considering that the kid might have actually charged at him or tried to get his gun from him.
I am. We don't know what the facts are.
This is why I've posted what we do know and not made any conclusions about it.
Amy Alkon at August 18, 2014 10:16 AM
"But Brown could have believed he was being stopped for the robbery thus causing him to act out in an aggressive way."
Here is one of the problems right there?
The police DO NOT KNOW IF YOU ARE ARMED when they stop you. They have to assume might be... unless you are acting aggressive.
A person being aggressive is a danger. Having the police pull you over and pull weapons on you, should make you as limp as a dead fish... It's scary as hell.
at that point... a person getting all aggressive is correctly perceived as a threat.
All the questions of militarization, no transparency of police action etc. all being side issues - what's the practicality?
If a police cruiser pulls up on you while you are walking down the middle of the street, and the officer says: "GTFOut of the STREET!?!"
Even if you hated police, why wouldn't you comply?
The PD's reaction to all this speaks volumes on the mentalities and the issues involved between the sides... the reaction of the small group of people seizing the opportunity to 'F'things up-
essentially this is a boiling cauldron that people are adding grievance to, to see what blows up.
SwissArmyD at August 18, 2014 10:44 AM
I am refering more to the protesters and rioters (and their fucking facebook supporters) than anyone here, Amy. Sorry if that wasn't clear.
My posts are very angry today because I'm still mourning my friends and having a hard time accepting that the ONLY solution these people could find for a percieved racial slight and violence is more violence. They didn't even bother to check the facts; they just started burning the town. I think I'm even more angry that Obama made yet another statement about another black boy being killed and I'm still waiting for so much as a statement from the police regarding my friend, who was the most non-violent person in the world, who was taken from the world by violence. What the hell makes Mike Browns life more valuable than my friends? What makes him worthy of the attention of the President and the media? Because he's black? Nevermind the fact that it's already been proven Brown was also a criminal... why is his death so much more important and devastating to the world than my friends? At least in Browns, there could have possibly been some justice if people had give the system half a chance. In my friends, there may never be. Why isn't that more of an outrage than some thug-wannabe, thief getting shot?
Sabrina at August 18, 2014 10:53 AM
Sabrina, you live in South Florida as I recall... did this murder happen in Miami?
"But Brown could have believed he was being stopped for the robbery thus causing him to act out in an aggressive way."
I was wondering the same thing... if Brown thought that Wilson was responding to the robbery call and didn't realize that it was just a random encounter. That's assuming that it was in fact him in the convenience store video, which I have not heard it stated conclusively if it was or not.
Cousin Dave at August 18, 2014 11:03 AM
@ Cousin Dave... my friend lived in Califonia, which made his murder even more shocking considering he lived in one of the most gay-friendly cities in the US. We both went to high school together in Michigan. He moved to CA shortly after I moved to NY. I've known him since we were kids. We just spoke several weeks ago about my coming to visit him when I finally took a long overdue vacation.
I'm still reeling from it and sorta pissed that Mike Browns death warrants national coverage and Presidental attention and with my friends death, silence. Either every life matters or none of them do, Mr. President.
Sabrina at August 18, 2014 11:17 AM
He had marijuana in his system:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2014/08/18/county-investigation-michael-brown-was-shot-from-the-front-had-marijuana-in-his-system/
Snoopy at August 18, 2014 3:59 PM
Regardless of race, what outcome is expected when a police officer is pushed back into his car and has to fight one person to keep his gun, keep an eye on a second person immediately afterwards while wondering WTF is going on w/the person that attacked him, and then confront the first person again? Come on. What TV show are you guys watching?
BS on all of the rioting and uproar. Same old same old. How old are the LA riots? No lessons learned?
Since the number of police injured exceeds the number of looters hurt, how is the police overacting? They sure LOOK stupid but their actions speak better of them than the looters.
Bob in Texas at August 18, 2014 5:36 PM
"He had marijuana in his system"
That's nothing. George W. Bush had a Bible in the White House.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at August 18, 2014 6:18 PM
Anybuddy seem my system?
Thought it was in the car.
Crid [CridComment at Gmail] at August 18, 2014 7:20 PM
He had marijuana in his system
Three thoughts
1. Who gives a fuck
2. Weed would have made him less aggressive and slowed his responses even if he was needled into being aggressive
3. There is active THC and non psychoactive residue which remain in the blood for days afterwords if I'm not mistaken.
Dont know how quickly it breaks down in a body left to rot in the sun for a few hours, but, my guess is quickly, so all this really tells us is he smoked the same shit at least 4 presidents are known to have
lujlp at August 18, 2014 8:55 PM
Shit got cut off,
. . . so all this really tells us is he smoked the same shit at least 4 presidents are known to have sometime in the week before his death
lujlp at August 18, 2014 8:56 PM
Yes, but it's no one's goddamned business. Amidst all this outcry and indignation, that significant fact gets lost. The protestors aren't suddenly immediate family members and did not suddenly gain power of attorney; the details of Michael Brown's death did not suddenly become public domain.
(Or at least not before the trial, if there is one.)
There's so much wrong-headedness in this. The incident has been Trayvonized. Is it so impossible for the protestors to wait until the facts are in?
Just as was done with Trayvon Martin, the liberal mind moved to canonize Brown, with his recent high school graduation and plans to go to college with a bright future awaiting him. The disclosure that this aspiring menace to society just robbed a convenient store threw some much-needed egg into the protestors' collective face. You'd think that this would have served as a warning against making snap judgments, but no such luck. Mike Brown didn't do anything wrong, and was obviously the victim of a bias crime from a racist cop.
(And yes, he robbed the convenient store. Not shoplifted cigars from a convenient store. Shoving and intimidating a much smaller man during this theft makes it a robbery. Robbery = theft + force.)
But of course, pointing this out to the protestors means that I'm suggesting that he deserved to get shot. Well, no. Merely providing some insight into this fine, upstanding citizen's character. But let's not introduce anything that offends the narrative of the gentle giant mercilessly gunned down by racist cop.
Patrick at August 18, 2014 9:54 PM
Sabrina, I'm very sorry for the loss of your friends.
Patrick at August 18, 2014 10:24 PM
A city quietly mourns the loss of a native son.
How can anyone watch this and not be touched?
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at August 19, 2014 3:48 PM
http://toprightnews.com/?p=5274
The Gateway Pundit is reporting, based on “two local St. Louis sources” that Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson suffered facial fractures during his confrontation with deceased 18 year-old Michael Brown.
Bob in Texas at August 19, 2014 6:09 PM
"How is "did Officer Wilson him have cause to believe that Mike Brown posed a serious physical threat at the moment Wilson pulled the trigger?" or anything else in this blog post or the comments currently under this "trying the case in the court of public opinion."
Honestly, sometimes I think you can't read, OR remember the basic claim you make about "evidence based {blogging}".
I am. This is why I've posted what we do know and not made any conclusions about it.
You have bought into a dozen different media-reported stories about what happened. This is in no way "what we do know" beyond the logical statement, {this has been reported}. Now you are seeing a bunch of half-assed opinions based on incomplete media reports multiplied by biases.
Radwaste at August 19, 2014 6:23 PM
Dallas police shoot unarmed Texas man, claim he rushed at the officer.
Media pretty much ignores it.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at August 19, 2014 6:57 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2014/08/18/michael_brown_a.html#comment-4958082">comment from RadwasteI've "bought into" nothing. I posted an autopsy report, info about militarized police, and a quote from Popehat.
Amy Alkon at August 19, 2014 11:35 PM
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