Grand jury continues to hear testimony in Michael Brown case
Garret Tenney reports from Chicago
Police radio calls obtained by the St. Louis Post Dispatch show the deadly police shooting in Ferguson, Mo., occurred within a brief time span of less than 90 seconds.
The Aug. 9 shooting of Michael Brown, 18, sparked nationwide protests, calls for revamped police procedures and a grand jury investigation that is reportedly close to a decision on the fate of Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson.
The newspaper said the radio dispatch recordings it obtained under Missouri's open records law show Wilson encountered Brown and another man at 12:02 p.m. "Put me on Canfield (Drive) with two. And send me another car," he tells the dispatcher. Before the encounter a dispatcher had put out a call for a "stealing in progress" at the Ferguson market with descriptions of the two suspects. The paper said that the description of one of the suspects in the Ferguson market theft match Brown's.
The paper said that based on its calculations Brown was killed less than 61 seconds after the dispatcher acknowledged Wilson's call.
The paper also said that 84 seconds after the call there was a radio transmission that was only a burst of static and an unintelligible utterance. A dispatcher responded, "10-4" on Canfield.
At 12:07, five minutes after Wilson's call to the dispatcher, an officer said on the radio, "Get us several more units over here. There's gonna be a problem." In the background during the officer's call woman can be heard wailing.
The newspaper also said that the response to its record request included video surveillance of Wilson, who has avoided the public's eye since the shooting, leaving for the hospital two hours after the shooting with his union lawyer and other officers.
Wilson returned to the station about two and one-half hours later.
The paper said that the description of one of the suspects in the Ferguson market theft match Brown’s. The teen allegedly attacked Wilson prompting the officer to fire upon Brown.
After calling for backup, Wilson reportedly continued his search on foot, but claimed Brown charged at him prompting more gun fire.
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Witness accounts vary.
The family of Michael Brown released a statement Saturday that called the leaking of the audio tapes an attempt to 'vilify the victim' by the Ferguson Police Dept.
"Furthermore, the audio clearly demonstrates that the initial interaction with the officer and Brown had nothing to do with the incident at the convenience store," the statement said
Dorian Johnson, Brown's friend who was with him at the time, claims Wilson grabbed Brown by the throat and attempted to put him in the SUV Wilson was driving. He also has said the fatal shot came when Brown's hands were up.
The grand jury could come up with a decision any day.
Protesters in Missouri are reportedly planning to shut down Clayton, Mo. after the verdict.
The protesters want to financially hurt Clayton, a city of roughly 15,000 residents that borders St. Louis, where organizers met late Thursday to hopefully attract hundreds if not thousands of people to show up on the first workday after the grand jury reaches a decision, KTVI reports.
The protesters will meet in public spaces and may spread out in small groups, possibly to take part in civil disobedience like shutting down roads.
"We want people to know these meeting are about non-violence direct action," said Michael McPherson, co-chair of the Don't Shoot Coalition. "Some of it will be people talking to people, expressing themselves. There's nothing we’re doing to try to create violence. We don't want to diminish tension without there being change."
Attorney General Eric Holder said Justice Department officials have been working with local officials to make sure the law enforcement response to any protests is appropriate.
"Certainly we want to ensure that people who have First Amendment rights have the ability to protest as they deem appropriate while at the same time making sure that we protect people in law enforcement and that we minimize the chances that any legitimate protest devolves into violence," he said.
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