Almost a week later, it looks we finally know what happened in Ferguson, Missouri last Saturday. At a press conference this morning, police identified the Darren Wilson as the officer who fatally shot unarmed teen, Michael Brown:
What police revealed today is different from the account given by Dorin Johnson who claimed he was present at the time Brown was shot. Johnson indicated he and Brown were minding their own business when Officer Wilson rolled up and began to harass them.
Officer Wilson has no disciplinary record in the six years he’s been on the force.
According to St. Louis police, Brown and Johnson were suspects in a convenience store robbery that happened moments before Officer Wilson encountered the two. NBC News reports:
The chief described what happened minutes before the shooting as a “strongarm robbery” at the convenience store. The police report said that Brown was there with another man, Dorian Johnson. Police also released pictures taken from surveillance video that appeared to show a confrontation.A 911 call about the robbery came in at 11:51 a.m., according to the police chief. A minute later, dispatchers gave a description of the suspect. The officer encountered Brown at 12:01 p.m. Three minutes later, the shooting was over, and a second officer was on the scene, he said.Police have said that an officer encountered Brown and another man on the street. They have said that one of the men pushed the officer into his patrol car and that there was a struggle over the officer’s gun. They have said that Brown ran and the officer fired multiple times.Johnson, however, told MSNBC that the officer ordered him and Brown off the sidewalk. He said that the officer tried to thrust his car door open but the door slammed into Brown and bounced closed. He said the officer then grabbed Brown by the neck, pointed the gun at him and said, “I’ll shoot.”Johnson also said that the officer fired shots after Brown turned with his hands up and said, “I don’t have a gun, stop shooting!”Johnson’s lawyer confirmed to MSNBC on Friday that Brown had taken the cigars from the store.
Video was released from the convenience store security footage showing Brown and Johnson stealing and roughing up the store clerk:
Update: From PBS:
In a press conference Friday afternoon, Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson said Darren Wilson — the officer being investigated in the shooting of Michael Brown — did not know Brown was a robbery suspect. Surveillance footage of that robbery was released Friday morning.
And we’re back to square one.
Follow Kemberlee Kaye on Twitter
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY