In the hours and days immediately following the Ferguson incident, only three people identified themselves publicly by name and claimed to be witnesses. Their statements were inflammatory and false.
Below are three examples that illustrate how the entire mass media identified the alleged witnesses of the incident, which occurred on August 9, 2014.
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| Dorian Johnson, Piaget Crenshaw and Tiffany Mitchell. (Image Source) |
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In a CNN summary of the incident
published on August 14, the following witnesses were named (listed in order of
mention):
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1) Tiffany Mitchell
2) Piaget Crenshaw
3) Dorian Johnson
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In CNN’s subsequent summary of the
incident published on August 15, the following witnesses were named:
1) Dorian Johnson
3) Piaget Crenshaw
1) Tiffany Mitchell
2) Piaget Crenshaw
3) Dorian Johnson
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The Daily Mail article reported
that Mitchell and Crenshaw both claimed that Brown ....
.... turned and raised his hands in the air, but the shots kept coming ....
.... and that
Johnson claimed that Brown ....
.... turned around and put his hands in the air, and he started to get down … and said, "I don’t have a gun, stop shooting", but the officer still approached with his weapon drawn and fired several more shots.
These three witnesses told the same story to
various newspaper and television reporters. From August 9 through August 19,
those three were the only witnesses who identified themselves, told their story
and answered questions publicly in the mass media.
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On August 20, 2014 , a fourth named witness, Michael Brady, was interviewed on CNN. Brady
described some of the incident's early actions, when Wilson and Brown struggled through the police vehicle’s window. Brady admitted, however, that he did not see later actions, when Brown stopped running and
turned around to face Wilson . Brady did see the very final actions, when Wilson shot the last four or so bullets into Brown, who was
stumbling forward.
Brady told the mass media truthfully that he did not see the incident's key moments when Brown stopped running away, turned around, and began moving toward Wilson and when Wilson began shooting at Brown.
Brady told the mass media truthfully that he did not see the incident's key moments when Brown stopped running away, turned around, and began moving toward Wilson and when Wilson began shooting at Brown.
Therefore, only three named
witnesses – Johnson, Crenshaw and Mitchell – ever told the mass media a story
about Brown trying to surrender while he was being shot to death.
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The report’s conclusion about Dorian Johnson (page 47, emphasis added):
Witness 101 [Johnson] has a misdemeanor conviction for a crime of dishonesty likely admissible in federal court as impeachment evidence. ….
Material parts of Witness 101′s account are inconsistent with the physical and forensic evidence, internally inconsistent from one part of his account to the next, and inconsistent with other credible witness accounts that are corroborated by physical evidence. ...
Both Witness 101's inconsistencies and his ability to perceive what happened, or lack thereof, make his account vulnerable to effective cross-examination and extensive impeachment.
Accordingly, after a thorough review of all the evidence, federal prosecutors determined that material portions of Witness 101's account lack credibility and therefore determined that his account does not support a prosecution of Darren Wilson.The report’s conclusion about Piaget Crenshaw (page 58, emphasis added):
When federal prosecutors and agents challenged the inconsistencies of her accounts, Witness 118 [Crenshaw] conceded that she likely assumed facts that she did not witness herself based on talking with other residents in the Canfield Green complex and watching the news, but was not specific about which facts. ….
Witness 118’s accounts are riddled with internal inconsistencies, inconsistencies with the physical and forensic evidence, and inconsistencies with credible witness accounts. Her attention was admittedly diverted away from the shooting when she watched Witness 101 [Dorian Johnson] ducking for cover and she acknowledged that her account was also based on assumption and media coverage.
Accordingly, after a thorough review of the evidence, federal prosecutors determined the various versions of this witness’s account to lack credibility and therefore it does not support a prosecution of Darren Wilson.The report’s conclusion about Tiffany Mitchell (page 56, emphasis added):
Although Witness 127’s [Mitchell's] statements are materially consistent with each other, significant portions are contrary to the forensic and physical evidence and inconsistent with credible witness accounts. Witness 127 was unable to give reasonable explanations as to why the physical evidence might be inconsistent with what she remembers, and therefore prosecutors were left to conclude that she inaccurately perceived material portions of the shootings either because of the stress of the incidents or because she was distracted.
Accordingly, after a thorough review of the evidence, federal prosecutors determined material portions of this witness's account not reliable and therefore cannot be used to support prosecution of Darren Wilson.
This blog will assemble the
evidence that none of these three witnesses saw the part of the incident when
Brown stopped running, turned around, and then charged toward Wilson .
Those three actually were doing the following:
Those three actually were doing the following:
1) Johnson was hiding in a white Monte Carlo
car that was parked along the street.
2) Crenshaw was watching, through
her apartment window, Johnson hiding in the Monte Carlo .
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