New Autopsy Analysis Supports Altercation With Police In Michael Brown Death
An analysis of the autopsy performed on Ferguson teenager Michael Brown indicates the unarmed teen may have been going for an officer's gun when he was fatally shot back in August.
According to the St. Louis Dispatch, an analysis of Brown's official county autopsy indicates the unarmed black teenager may have not been surrendering with his hands up when he was shot six times, as many of those protesting Brown's death believed.
A medical expert who analyzed the autopsy for the local newspaper said that Brown was reportedly shot in the hand at close range, an observation that falls in line with police officer Darren Wilson's claim that Brown initiated an altercation that pushed Wilson into his cop car before he was able to shoot the teenager.
St. Louis medical examiner, Dr. Michael Graham said the autopsy "does support that there was a significant altercation at the car."
Foreign matter consistent with that discharged from a firearm was found near Brown's hand where he was shot at close range, indicating that it's possible the teenager was going for the police officer's gun when he was shot.
Another observation from the autopsy indicates that Brown's palms were facing forward, not up, when he was shot, meaning he was not taking the usual surrender stance of his arms in the air when Wilson shot him.
While police argue that Brown was shot after getting into a physical altercation with the officer, the teenager's family and several Ferguson residents argue Brown was surrendering with his hands in the air when he was shot six times by Wilson. The fact that Brown was unarmed when he was shot has added tension to the incident.
Brown's death back in August ignited several weeks of protests by locals that caused the shooting to turn into a national controversy.
