The Sequence of Events on Canfield Drive

Police Officer Darren Wilson estimated in his testimony to the grand jury that the entire incident lasted less than one minute.

Prosecutor  How many minutes or seconds from  the time that you saw them walking down the street until Michael Brown is dead in the street? 

Wilson  I would say less than one minute. 

Prosecutor  Less than one minute?  

Wilson  Uh-huh [yes].  

[Page 272]

Wilson estimated the same one-minute duration also in earlier statements to investigators. 

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Near-Sighted and MC Passenger estimated that the confrontation between Wilson and Michael Brown at the police vehicle lasted about about 15 seconds. I will use their estimates. Near-Sighted said also that Dorian Johnson ran away very early in that 15-second period. 

According to the dispatcher's Event Report (page 17), Wilson's initial call about his encounter occurred at 12:01:50 ("Open"), and Policeman McDonald arrived at the scene 32 seconds later, at 12:02:22 ("Arrival"). Policeman McDonald said he heard the final four gunshots when he was driving through Canfield Drive's 3000 block. I will estimate that he heard the gunshots at around 12:02:15.

Combining the above times provides the following rough one-minute time-line:

THIS ARTICLE WILL BE RE-WRITTEN, AND THE TIME-LINE WILL BE ADJUSTED.

12:01:15 = Wilson encounters Johnson and Brown walking in street

12:01:20 = Wilson drives backward and blocks Johnson and Brown

12:01:25 = Brown begins 15-second attack on Wilson. Johnson walks backward to curb.

12:01:30 = Johnson runs away.

12:01:35 = Strange, loud noise at police vehicle attracts attention

12:01:40 = Wilson fires first gunshot from inside police vehicle

12:01:43 = Brown runs away from the police vehicle

12:01:45 = Wilson fires second gunshot from inside his police vehicle

12:01:50 = Wilson, sitting in his police vehicle, calls the dispatcher

12:01:55 = Wilson begins chasing Brown down the street

12:02:15 = final four gunshots

After Johnson ran away from the police vehicle at 12:01:30, he ran quite a distance during the ten seconds until the first gunshot at 12:01:40. He ran to the front of 9391 Canfield Drive and then across the street to the area near the tree.

Johnson was standing behind the Monte Carlo when Brown ran past it at about 12:01:45.

THIS ILLUSTRATION IS WRONG. THIS ARTICLE WILL BE RE-WRITTEN.

PV = Police Vehicle
....
MC = Monte Carlo (movement backward after the first gunshot)
....
Red line = Dorian Johnson's run
from the police vehicle
to the Monte Carlo

I elaborate the sequence of events related to Johnson's run as follows. 

1) Johnson gathered the cigarillos from the police vehicle's roof and from Brown's left hand (12:01:27). He backed away from the vehicle to the south sidewalk (12:01:29). Johnson perceived that Brown essentially was just holding the door shut so that Johnson could escape with the cigarillos. Then Johnson ran (12:01:30) laughing to the front of 9391 Canfield Drive (12:01:35). MC Passenger watched that part of Johnson's run. 

2) Johnson and MC Passenger heard a loud noise (12:01:35). Johnson stopped running and looked back. MC Passenger turned his attention away from Johnson and back to the police vehicle. Visiting Sister-in-Law heard a loud noise and began watching the police vehicle. 

3) Johnson realized that the situation might not be just a cigarillo-hide-and-seek game any more. Johnson could not see Brown or Wilson, who are on the vehicle's far side. Johnson ran north across the street to look from that different perspective. He stopped in the area between the street's north sidewalk and the tree (12:01:38). At this point, Balcony Brother noticed Johnson.

4) Immediately after the first gunshot (12:01:40), MC Owner backed up the Monte Carlo for a short distance and stopped. MC Passenger opened his door, and both MC Owner and MC Passenger ducked down.

5) When Johnson saw the Monte Carlo's passenger door open, he ran toward the car's passenger side, intending to hide inside the car. During that run, Balcony Brother retreated from his balcony back into his apartment.

6) Johnson reached the Monte Carlo's passenger side (12:01:43). He stopped close behind MC Passenger, who was leaning out and hiding behind his open door. 

7) Brown, having been wounded by the first gunshot, punched Wilson again through the police vehicle's open window. When Brown saw Wilson trying to un-jam his gun, Brown ran (12:01:43) around the police vehicle and began running down Canfield Drive. 

8) Wilson un-jammed his pistol and, in order to verify its correct operation, fired (12:01:45) a test bullet through his open window into the dirt beyond the street. Brown was running past the Monte Carlo back end. Brown saw Johnson and said, "keep running, bro'". Johnson saw blood splatters on Brown's right arm and on the right side of Brown's shirt. Johnson guessed mistakenly that Brown had been shot in the upper-right chest.  

9) Johnson ducked down, next to the Monte Carlo's passenger side, behind MC Passenger (12:01:47).

10) Wilson sent a radio call, "Put me on Canfield with two and send another car" (12:01:50), got out of his vehicle and started chasing Brown (12:01:55).

11) Wilson ran past the Monte Carlo (12:01:57)

12) MC Passenger climbed into the Monte Carlo's rear seat, enabling Johnson  to climb into the Monte Carlo and hide down in front of the passenger seat (12:02:00) Thus hiding, Johnson did not see the following event. 

12) Brown stopped running for a moment. Having heard the second gunshot, he turned around to look back. He put his hand onto a car that was behind the Monte Carlo. He kicked off his flip-flops and continued running.  (I will tell this event in a later post.)

13) Balcony Brother returned from inside his apartment back out onto his balcony (12:02:05) and focused on Brown and Wilson.  Balcony Brother assumed, but did not see, that Johnson must have disappeared into the Monte Carlo. 

15) Brown stopped and turned around. He began charging at Wilson (12:02:09). 

Johnson ran initially southwest

Two eyewitnesses testified that Dorian Johnson ran initially southwest from the police vehicle and then ran along the northwest side of Building 18.

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The first of the two eyewitnesses was MC Passenger. He told a detective and an FBI special agent on August 22, 2014, that Dorian Johnson ran toward Bulding 18's Apartment 9391. MC Passenger watched Johnson from inside the white Monte Carlo.

Building 18 faced the police vehicle from the southwest.
The building's "right side" was the northwest side.
Blue line = Monte Carlo
Black line = Police vehicle
Red line = Johnson's run from the police vehicle
Purple line = Minivan

In the interview's relevant passage, MC Passenger described Johnson's reaction right before Michael Brown and Darren Wilson began to struggle through the police vehicle's window. 

MC Passenger  His [Brown's] friend [Johnson] just looked. He looked frightened. He ran off, he stumbled, then ran off fast. He was on the other side of the street -- not on the side that I'm on [in the Monte Carlo]. ..... 

[Page 4] 

MC Passenger  He [Wilson] backs up. Mike is by the window, and his friend [Johnson] ... seen what he seen, and he looked startled. He ran off somewhere over here -- Dorian. 

Detective  Dorian goes where? 

MC Passenger  He ran to the outside of the street that I was on -- somewhere over there [pointing at a photograph]. 

Detective And [by the words] "over there" you're indicating ... across the street, in front of where it says this 9391 [north of Apartment 9391]? Is that fair? That 9391 right there? Is that where you're talking about -- this area? 

MC Passenger  Yeah, .... It look like a sidewalk area. He [Johnson] must have went somewhere as they [Brown and Wilson] still [were] tussling in the car. 

[Page 12] 

FBI Special Agent When did you see Dorian run away from the car?  Was it before the first shot? 

MC Passenger  Right before they [Brown and Wilson] basically got into it.  He trotted away from it real quick.  

FBI SA  When you saw the car shaking, Dorian was gone? 

MC Passenger  Yeah, he'd been gone. He ran to the other side of the street. I'm steady paying attention toward the [police] truck. 

[Pages  28 - 29]

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The second of the two eyewitnesses was a 26 year-old bi-racial woman (white father, black mother). She was sitting with her parents in a minivan and watched the incident from the moment when Brown began struggling with Wilson. The grand jury designated her as Witness 48, and the US Justice Department's report designated her as Witness 104. I will call her Minivan Daughter.

The US Justice Department's report evaluated her as credible. 

All three of Witness 104's statements were consistent with each other, consistent with the physical and forensic evidence, and consistent with other credible witness accounts. Witness 104 does not have a criminal history. Therefore, if called as a defense witness in a prosecution of Darren Wilson, this witness's account would not be vulnerable to meaningful cross-examination and would not be subject to impeachment due to bias or inconsistencies in prior statements. Accordingly, after a through review of all the evidence, federal prosecutors determined her account to be credible, and likewise determined that a jury appropriately would credit her potential testimony. 

[Page 30]

The minivan approached the scene from west to east and was blocked by Wilson's police vehicle. She was interviewed by a detective on August 14 -- five days after the incident. On that occasion she said that she saw Johnson run behind Building 18.

Minivan Daughter  I did see another dude take off running towards the opposite way, to the right side [i.e. northwest] of the building. .... He ran, like, this way [pointing on drawing]. 

Detective  So he ran south. Could you just put an arrow so that way we can indicate which direction that he was running? 

Minivan Daughter  Uh hmm. If this is the cop car he ran behind this building right here. 

Detective  Okay. He ran then south from Canfield.  .... Anything else, that we might need to know? 

Minivan Daughter  No, that's all. 

[Pages 8 - 9]

Minivan Daughter insisted that Johnson ran behind Building 18 immediately after Wilson shot the two bullets from inside the police vehicle. About 50 minutes after the first interview, the detective phoned her and asked her to clarify when Johnson ran that way after the gunshots, and she confirmed that sequence of events.

On November 3, she testified to the grand jury that she saw Johnson run south from Canfield Drive and then past "Building 18".  (A photograph, with the buildings numbered, was shown to the witnesses in the courtroom)

Prosecutor  Did you ever see anyone with Michael Brown?

Minivan Daughter  I seen a dude before all the shooting happened. There was a guy, a thinner dude, with Michael. He had on a black T-shirt and some gray jogging pants. I really didn’t get a good look at his face. … He had dreadlocks. …. 

Prosecutor  When you looked and saw Michael Brown at the police car, did you see him [Johnson] also? 

Minivan Daughter  I didn’t see him up on the cruiser but when the first two shots had been, he was like in this area behind the cruiser and he took off running alongside of Building 18. 

Prosecutor  That’s the way you saw him running. Did you ever see him reappear? 

Minivan Daughter  No. 

[Pages 58-59]

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As we will see in the next article, Johnson soon reappeared on the north side of Canfield Drive. His new location indicates that he must have doubled-back and then ran east along Canfield Drive. He was noticed running in that direction only by Near-Sighted, who said she saw him running in the same direction that Brown subsequently ran. 

All the other eyewitnesses were too focused on the police vehicle to notice Johnson running that way.

Brown's two bracelets fell off the police vehicle

Two bracelets, which belonged to Michael Brown, fell next to Darren Wilson's police vehicle. 

You can see this drawing in a larger size at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Michael_Brown

The bracelet on the vehicle's north side is seen here:

And the bracelet on the vehicle's south side is seen here.

I explain the bracelets' locations as follows. 

When Brown placed his right handful of cigarillos onto the vehicle's roof, he placed the black bracelet there too. Then Dorian Johnson gathered the cigarillos from the roof, but he accidentally pushed the black bracelet across the roof and over the edge to the vehicle's far side. 

Brown continued to hold the remaining cigarillos and the yellow bracelet in his left hand. Brown handed those cigarillos to Johnson, but continued to hold the yellow bracelet. Soon, however, Brown placed the yellow bracelet onto the vehicle's hood so that his left hand would be completely free. 

After Brown's right hand was shot inside the vehicle's cabin, Brown shoved away powerfully, rocking the entire vehicle. The yellow bracelet slid off the hood and onto the ground near the front bumper. 

Near-Sighted saw and heard the yellow bracelet fall and thought that Brown had dropped a pistol onto the ground. In her testimony to the grand jury, she said:

Prosecutor The first shot, was the officer in the car when that shot occurred?

Near-Sighted  Yes, the officer was still in the car. Michael Brown was still in the window when I heard the first shot. After that, he kind of backed up and just looked down at himself. ....  

Then he kind of stepped back a little bit. I did see something fall on the ground. It sounded metal. So, of course, the first thing I assume was it was a gun. I was thinking he had a gun. 

Prosecutor  Did it appear that the officer or Michael Brown or anyone else retrieved that object? 

Near-Sighted  I didn't see anybody pick it up. 

[Pages 21-22]

Some of the metallic sound that Near-Sighted heard might have been the vehicle's window breaking when the pistol was fired. The investigators found pieces of window glass on the pavement near the vehicle's door. 

The driver and passenger of the Monte Carlo, which stopped only a few feet behind the police vehicle, said they saw the vehicle shaking while Wilson and Brown were fighting. 

Johnson ran away as soon as he got the cigarillos

Dorian Johnson ran away from the police vehicle as soon as he grabbed half of the cigarillos from the vehicle's roof and then received the other half of the cigarillos from Michael Brown's left hand. 

When Johnson and Brown were walking in the center of the street, Johnson was walking directly in front of Brown. Darren Wilson drove his vehicle backward and turned askew the middle of the street to block Johnson's and Brown's path. Johnson and Brown bumped the vehicle and veered off to their right and then stopped near the vehicle's back end, on the driver's side. Brown and Johnson turned to face the driver's door. At that point in time, Brown was closer to the driver's door, and Johnson was closely behind Brown. 

Since Johnson and Brown were standing near the vehicle's back end, they could have run around the vehicle's back end and away. 

As Wilson began to open the vehicle door, however, Brown rushed from the vehicle's back end to the door and shoved the door shut against Wilson. Because Brown was holding cigarillos in each hand, he put his right hand onto the vehicle roof and placed that hand's cigarillos onto the roof. Johnson then moved next to Brown and took those cigarillos from the roof. 

Meanwhile, Brown ducked down to the window's level and used his empty right hand to smack at Wilson through the open window, but hitting Wilson only slightly. Brown felt constrained by the cigarillos in his left hand, so he handed those cigarillos to Johnson so that he could punch Wilson effectively. Before Brown delivered his subsequent, much more effective punches, Johnson ran away with all the cigarillos. 

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In his testimony to the grand jury, Johnson indicated that he moved next to Brown and got all the cigarillos:  

At this time I'm not behind him [Brown] any more; we're side to side, so I can see everything that is going on. I'm still in the windowed [area]. I'm still right here standing in the same spot. I never moved.  

At that time Big Mike still has the cigarillos in both of his hands, divided evenly. He never put them down in his pocket or anything like that. 

Now, from the beginning of the grab-war, Big Mike places his hands openly -- one hand on top of the cruiser and the other hand more right up under the window's side mirror. He's trying to pull off the officer's grip.  

He placed the cigarillos on the car, and his hands are on the car. He never dropped a single pack. He still has them in his hand, not dropping them. ....  

At a point he turned -- now we [Brown and Johnson] are face-to-face, and he put his hands, like, "grab these, Bro." 

In shock ... my hands open to where he could put the cigarillos in my hand, but I'm still standing in the same spot. .... The cigarillos were placed in my hand. 

(Pages 50-53)

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Wilson told the grand jury that he briefly saw Brown holding some cigarillos in his right hand before Brown ducked his head down to the window's level. Brown initially kept both hands up on the vehicle's roof, but then he lowered both hands. Now Brown's right hand was empty, and he punched and grabbed at Wilson, but ineffectively. Then Wilson saw Brown give the cigarillos in his left hand to Johnson:

Wilson  He [Brown] then grabs my door again and shuts my door. ... I saw him coming into my vehicle. His head was higher than the top of my car. And I see him ducking. As he is ducking, his hands are up, and he is coming in my vehicle. .... 

I was hit in the side of the face with a fist. I don't think it was a full-on swing ... not a full shot. I think my arm deflected some of it, but there was still a significant amount of contact that was made to my face. ....

Prosecutor  Where did you see the cigarillos at?

Wilson   They were in his [Brown's] right hand. ....

After, he [Brown] hit me, then it [the hitting] stopped for a second. I remember getting hit, and he grabbed and pulled, and then it stopped. ....

He turns like this, and now the cigarillos I see in his left hand. .... And he reaches back, and he says, "hey, man, hold these."

I'm assuming [Brown gave the cigarillos] to Johnson, but I couldn't see Johnson from my line of sight.

Prosecutor  You could tell he was giving Johnson cigarillos?

Wilson  Yes, I saw them in his hand go around. And he said, "hey, man, hold these."

(Pages 209 - 212)

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As soon as Johnson had grabbed the cigarillos off the police vehicle's roof and then from Brown's hand, he ran away.   

Near-Sighted testified to the grand jury that Johnson ran away just a moment after Brown began attacking Wilson. 

Prosecutor  Did you notice him [Johnson]?

Near-Sighted He was standing there for a while, but once they started fighting, he just ran.

[Page 17]

As soon as Brown freed himself from both handfuls of cigarillos, he was able to begin punching Wilson effectively. By the time Wilson fired his first gunshot, Johnson already had run far away with all the cigarillos.

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When thinking about Johnson's actions, keep in mind that he did not foresee that Brown would attack Wilson persistently through the window or that Wilson subsequently would shoot Brown. Not foreseeing those actions, Johnson did not feel compelled to stay by the vehicle so that he could witness what would happen during the next minute or two. Rather, Johnson felt compelled to run away with the cigarillos. 

Johnson considered the stealing of the cigarillos from the store to be a "prank". Now this situation that was developing by the police vehicle was just another prank. Brown merely was holding the policeman's door closed while Johnson was escaping with the cigarillos. Later they would just laugh about it as they told their friends. 

Only after Johnson had run away for about 15 seconds did he hear a gunshot and realize that the incident unexpectedly had become deathly serious. 

Near-Sighted said Johnson ran away before the first gunshot

Dorian Johnson told to the public and then to the investigators and then to the grand jury a false story that he remained next to Michael Brown until after Police Officer Darren Wilson fired his first gunshot from inside the police vehicle. However, several eyewitnesses said that Johnson ran away before the first gunshot, and several other eyewitnesses said that Brown was the only person standing next to the vehicle when the first gunshot was fired. 

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The best eyewitness about Johnson’s first movements immediately after the encounter at the police vehicle was a 20-year-old African-American female. She is identified in the Justice Department’s report as Witness 135 and in the grand jury documents as Witness 44.

Since she was significantly near-sighted and was not wearing her eyeglasses or contact lenses, I will call her Near-Sighted here. Her location during the incident is marked by the NS in the upper-left part of this image:

NS = Near-Sighted .... PV = Police Vehicle ..... MC = Monte Carlo
Verticalish red line on left side = Near-Sighted's path home after the shooting
Horizontalish red line in the middle = Johnson's flight direction, according to Near-Sighted

Near-Sighted was walking on the sidewalk along the south side of Canfield Drive.She was passing the last tree there and then intended to turn south and cut across the lawn to her apartment building (see the verticalish red line on the left side of the photograph). 

When she reached the last tree, however, she stopped to watch Wilson's police vehicle, which was stopped in the middle of the street. She saw Michael Brown and Dorian Johnson beyond the police vehicle, walking away in the middle of the street. She then watched the police vehicle back up and stop across both lanes, blocking Brown's and Johnson's path. At this moment, she then was standing in the place marked NS, and Wilson's police vehicle was standing in the place marked PV. 

Now Near-Sighted was looking at the police vehicle's driver side, next to which Brown and Johnson were standing with their backs to her. Although she was near-sighted and was not wearing her eyeglasses or contact lenses, she was close enough to perceive Brown's and Johnson's basic actions at the police vehicle.  

Near-Sighted did not mention any car being behind the police vehicle. 

Near-Sighted's description of the event contradicts Johnson's description in two important elements. 

* She said that he ran away from the police vehicle before the first gunshot was fired inside the vehicle. He said that he ran away after that gunshot.

* She said that he ran a considerable distance far down Canfield Drive. He said that he ran straight to the nearby Monte Carlo.  

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On October 28, Near-Sighted testified to the grand jury and described her location as follows: 

Prosecutor  Give us an idea of how you were moving and what was going on ...? 

 Near-Sighted  … I did come down this street [southeast along Canfield Drive]. I didn't actually stop until I got like to the last tree. That’s when I was pretty close enough to see what was going on. 

 Prosecutor  That's on the south side of Canfield? 

 Near-Sighted  Yes, ma'am. …. I saw the police car sitting about here. I was about right here [at the last tree] when I first stop to get a look, when they were at the car. The first shot [was fired when] I was right here. 

(Pages 50-51)

Immediately after the police vehicle backed up and stopped across both lanes, Brown was standing near the vehicle's back end. Brown immediately rushed forward to the driver's door and began his assault on Wilson. Johnson stood by for a while, but then ran around the vehicle's back end and continued running away on Canfield Drive.

Prosecutor  Did the little guy [Johnson] seem to be helping [Brown at the vehicle]? 

 Near-Sighted  No. 

 Prosecutor  Did you notice him [Johnson]? 

 Near-Sighted  He was standing there for a while, but once they [Brown and Wilson] started fighting, he [Johnson] just ran. 

 Prosecutor  Was he next to Michael Brown on the same [driver’s] side of the car? 

 Near-Sighted  Yeah, he [Johnson's] was on the same side of the car, still at the back of it. 

(Page 17)

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In her first interview, with FBI special agents on August 16, Near-Sighted summarized the sequence of events. Johnson ran away before the first gunshot in the vehicle and ran away down Canfield Drive -- in the same direction that Brown ran subsequently.  

I saw the officer back his van up and hit the two boys. Immediately his [Brown's] friend [Johnson] took off, and Mike started fighting with the officer through his window. I don't know why they were fighting through the window but then you heard the first shot and all the cars on the street stopped. They started backing up. Then he [Brown] started running. He stopped halfway and turned around, and that's when you heard the rest of the shots. 

(Page 2)

Near-Sighted was standing near an eyewitness whom I call Pickup Driver and who did try to back up. Later in that same FBI interview, she summarized again the sequence of events:

The first thing that I saw was the police car. Usually you don't see a police car over here unless something's happening. The first thing I saw was the police car sitting out there, and I saw the two boys. I don't know what he [Wilson] said to them but then I saw him back up in a slant and hit them. They were .... on the street, and he backed up on a slant . That's what caught my attention. I'm like: "what's going on, looking down there?" 

I saw the boy [Brown] get mad and come around to the window, and that's when everything happened. 

His friend just took off running. He didn't stick around to see what was going on. .... His friend ran down the street.  

(Pages 4-5)

Still later in that same FBI interview, she summarized again the sequence of events:

FBI Special Agent  So, you said that after he [Wilson] bumped into the two guys, one [Johnson] ran away. Did he run around the front of the car or the rear? 

Near-Sighted  He went around the back. 

FBI Special Agent  Around the back of the car? 

Near-Sighted  Yeah. ..... He ran away from West Florissant .... down Canfield. ..... 

The other boy [Brown] stayed and started fighting. ..... You saw them get in some type of physical altercation for about 15 seconds. Then you heard the first gunshot. 

(Pages 7-8)

When Brown ran away from the police vehicle, he ran in the same direction as Johnson had run.

Near-Sighted  When I heard the first shot, his [Wilson's] door was closed. His shot came through his window. .... It was inside of the car. ..... 

He [Brown] ran not but about four or five steps, and then he stopped. .... He [Brown] was going in the same direction as his friend [Johnson] was going away from the car .... 

FBI Special Agent  Did he [Brown] run around the front of the car or around the back of the car? 

Near-Sighted  He was already at the driver's side window, so he just started going away from the car, towards the back. 

(Page 10) 

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Near-Sighted's statements are compelling evidence for the following two points. 

1) Johnson ran away from the police vehicle a considerable time -- she said about 15 seconds -- before the first gunshot was fired inside the police vehicle. 

2) Johnson ran away a considerable distance down Canfield Drive. He did not run directly to any car immediately behind the police vehicle. 

People Dismissed for Saying Brown Did Not Run Forward

The US Justice Department's report dismissed the following witnesses as unreliable because they said that Michael Brown fell dead in the same place where he stopped and turned around -- or because they said that Brown walked or stumbled forward only a few steps.

Witness 101 [Dorian Johnson] is a 22-year-old black male. …. the bullet “definitely struck [Michael Brown] in the back.” …. Brown stopped. Brown put his hands up above his head, in the air, and turned to face Wilson. … Brown then stated, “I don’t have a gun” or “I’m unarmed”. Brown started to say it again, but Wilson while walking toward Brown, fired one volley of at least four shots and Brown fell to his death. … Witness 101 was steadfast that Brown fell to the ground right where he initially stopped and turned around. At most, Brown took a half-step forward, but he did not move toward Wilson. (Pages 44-47)

Witness 123 is a 29-year-old black male. …. Witness 123 told the county grand jury that he saw Brown turn around and hold his hands up. Wilson shot Brown three times and Brown fell to the ground dead. Contrary to the physical evidence, Witness 123 explained that Brown died where he turned around and did not move toward Wilson.(Pages 47-48)

Witness 135 is a 20-year-old black female. …. She recalled that as Brown turned around, he put his hand up with his arms, “scrunched up”, pulled tight against his body, palms out at about shoulder height. According to Witness 135, Brown was hunched forward, though he took a few steps backward, and was shot about five times before he fell to his death. According to Witness 135, there was only this one additional volley of shots after the initial shot. Brown never moved forward. …. (Pages 53-54)

Witness 127 [Tiffany Mitchell] is a 27-year-old black female. …. In one quick motion, Brown turned around with his hands up at right angles at his shoulders. Wilson then shot him, and Brown fell to his death where he stood. … Witness 127 was adamant that , contrary to DNA evidence with regard to the blood east of Brown’s body, Brown never moved toward Wilson. She insisted that he fell to his death right where he turned around. (Pages 55-56)

Witness 118 [Piaget Crenshaw] is a 19-year-old black female. ….. She the looked back toward Brown as he turned around, pout his hands in the air, and got shot two times. Brown fell to the ground face down, with his arms at 90 degree angles on either side of his head, contrary to what the crime scene photos depict …. Witness 118 added … that Wilson shot Brown in the back from three feet away and that Brown never moved back towards Wilson.(Pages 56-58)

Witness 138 is a 22-year-old black male. …. Brown turned around, “threw his hands up” and said …. “Please don’t shoot.” Brown then fell to his knees, and Wilson shot him again. Witness 138 told federal authorities that Brown fell to the ground in the exact place where he first turned around and did not move toward Wilson. Witness 138 expalined that he … did not know what Brown did for the majority of the shooting because he was face-first in the dirt. He did not look up until Brown was already dead. (Pages 62-63)

Witness 121 is a 36-year-old black female. …. After Brown took off running, Brown put his hands up, and then Wilson shot him. She further stated that Wilson walked over to Brown and “emptied” his gun into Brown, and that Brown “finally fell” after the last shot. … Brown was walking toward the officer with his hands up in surrender. (Pages 64-66)

Witness 137 is a 40-year-old black male. ….. The police officer shot Brown in the back. “Realizing he was shot,” Brown turned around with his hands up. Brown walked toward the officer and as he did so, the officer “closed in on him” until they were less than an arm’s length apart. The officer fired “every round” into Brown, killing him “execution” style. …. After Brown fell forward, “the officer stood over him and finished him off.” … Brown fell to his knees for the final shots, and the last words Brown said were “Don’t shoot,” He also stated that Brown was lying on the ground when the final bullets were fired. … Brown walked at a “steady pace” of about ten steps toward him [Wilson]. (Pages 67-68)

Witness 139 is a 50-year-old black female. …… Brown turned around, never moving from where he stood. According to Witness 139, Brown fell to the ground with his hands next to his head at right angles because his hands had been up. Wilson then fired at least three shots as Brown was lying face down on the ground. Witness 139 saw that Brown was bleeding from his back. When asked how she was able to witness the final shots if she had her head down in her arms, Witness 139 explained that she put her head down in her arms after the first two shots, but she could still see because she was peeking. (Pages 72-74)

Witness 148 is a 26-year-old black female. …. Brown then turned around and put his hands up in right angles at shoulder-height in a sign of surrender. He then dropped to his knees, started to say something like “I don’t have a — “, but was cut off as Wilson walked toward Brown firing at least six shots, killing Brown. Witness 148 as initially adamant that …. Brown never moved forward from the spot where he turned around to face Wilson.(Pages 75-77)

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In later posts, I will call:

* Witness 123 by the nick-name MC Passenger.

* Witness 135 by the nick-name Near-Sighted.