B&J encountered Wilson at 12:01

Determining the exact time when Police Officer Darren Wilson encountered Michael Brown and Dorian Johnson is complicated, because a set of police-radio times has not been released to the public. Wilson encountered them some time before he sent to the police dispatcher the following radio message, in which he reported that he was involved in a disturbance with two people on Canfield Drive and that he requested another police car to help him. Wilson's radio report was recorded as "Track 369".

Wilson reports a disturbance involving two people on Canfield Drive.
This report occurred at 12:21:05 according to the CAD clock,
but at 12:01:50 according to the Event Report clock.

The CAD clock times are very wrong
and so have not been released to the public.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

However, Track 369 has two times, which differ by 19:15 minutes (19 minutes and 15 seconds).

Track 369 is a product of the the Ferguson Police Department's Computer Automated Dispatching (CAD) system, which specified that the report occurred at 12:21:05 p.m.

However, the police dispatcher specified the report also with a so-called Event Report clock, which specified that the report occurred at 12:01:50 p.m.

The difference between the two times is 19:15 minutes (19 minutes and 15 seconds). The CAD time is far wrong, and the Event Report time is fairly correct. The Investigative Report (page 165) describes the discrepancy as follows:

The Ferguson Police Department's CAD clock
ran 19:15 minutes
faster than the Event Report clock. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

This discrepancy was so embarrassing and confusing that the CAD tracks released to the public did not include the CAD times. For example, Track 369 lacks the time, which would not be known except for the Investigative Report's above passage about the discrepancy. The Event Report time has been released to the public in the following document:

The Event Report clock recorded Wilson's radio report at 12:01:50.
Only this time has been released to the public.

This "Disturbance in Progress" event became "Open"
when Wilson sent the "Track 369" radio report
to the dispatcher at 12:01:50. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Because the CAD times have not been released to the public, there is some uncertainty in matching the CAD tracks to the Event Report events. Since we have been informed that the CAD times and Event Report times differ by 19:15 minutes, we could match a particular CAD item to a particular Event Report item by  verifying that the times differ by precisely 19:15 minutes. Because we do not have the CAD times, we must guess about some matches.

For example, the above Event Report lists one item with the time 12:01:50 and several items with the time 12:02:22. We have been informed that the 21:01:50 item corresponds to Track 369. For the 12:02:22 items, however, we would have to guess the Track number or numbers, because we verify matches by finding differences of 19:15 minutes.

---------

Another complication is that not every radio transmission was recorded by either or both of the systems -- the CAD system and the Event Report system. I will elaborate on this problem in my next article, but here I will simply assert that Wilson on two occasions sent an identical report, which said:

21, put me on Canfield with two and send me another car.

The first time Wilson sent that report was right after he admonished Brown and Johnson to walk on the sidewalk and right before he backed his vehicle to block their path. This report was transmitted at about 12:01:05, and it was heard by Policeman McDonald and Policeman Highmount, both of whom then began to drive to Canfield Drive. This report was not received, however, by either the CAD or Event Report systems. This first report does not exist at all in either system.

The second time Wilson sent that same report was right after he shot a bullet through his vehicle door and Brown ran away from the vehicle. This second report -- the same words again -- was transmitted at 12:01:50 and was heard again by the two policemen -- and this time it was received too by both the CAD and Event Report systems.

---------

About twenty seconds after the second report, at about 12:02:10, both Policeman McDonald and Policeman Highmount were filmed driving on Canfield Drive, past the Shopping Center Services compound. I provided this information in a previous article. Their arrival at this point at this time was possible only if they heard Wilson's first radio report already at about 12:01.

Consider especially Policeman Highmont. After the incident, he told a detective that he was approaching Highmont Drive when he heard Wilson say over the radio, "21, put me on Canfield with two and send me another car".

SCS = Shopping Center Services.
Its Camera 11 filmed two police SUVs passing by
on Canfield Drive at about 12:02:10.

If Policeman Highmont heard this report at 12:01:50, then he could not have passed SCS a mere 20 seconds later, at 12:02:10. He could have passed SCS at that time only if he had heard a significantly earlier report, which I estimate was transmitted at about 12:01:05. A report at this earlier time would have given Policeman Highmont about 65 seconds to pass by SCS.

Policeman McDonald was looking for Brown and Johnson at the QuickTrip when he heard Wilson's request for help. Even if he was sitting inside his police vehicle, he perhaps could not have reached SCS in a mere 20 seconds. He too might have heard Wilson's earlier request at 12:01:05 but perhaps reacted slowly because he was inside the QuikTrip.

---------

Here is a time-line recapitulating the above explanation:

12:01:00 -- Wilson arrives at the encounter point. He admonishes Brown and Johnson to walk on the sidewalk. They continue to walk in the middle of the street. Brown curses Wilson, who then notices that Brown is holding a handful of cigarillos.

12:01:05 -- Wilson sends a radio request for help, which is heard by Policeman McDonald and Policeman Highmont, both of whom begin to travel toward Canfield Drive. This radio transmission is not received, however, by either the CAD or Event Report systems.

12:01:10 -- Wilson backs his vehicle and blocks Brown's and Johnson's path. Brown and Wilson began fighting through the vehicle's window. Johnson runs away.

12:01:40 -- Wilson shoots a bullet through his vehicle door. Brown runs away. Wilson shoots a second bullet through his window to clear a handgun jam.

12:01:50 -- Wilson again sends a radio request for help, using the same words. Wilson exits his vehicle and chases Brown.

12:02:10 -- Policeman McDonald and Policeman Highmont turn onto Canfield Drive and pass the SCS compound, which films them.

12:02:15 -- Policeman McDonald and Policeman Highmont hear Wilson's final four gunshots.

12:02:22 -- Policeman McDonald and Policeman Highmont report to the dispatcher that they have arrived at the scene in response to Wilson's radio request.

---------

Now I will use another explanation to reinforce my argument that Wilson encountered Brown and Johnson at 12:01:00.

GoogleMaps.com shows that Police Officer Darren Wilson encountered Michael Brown and Dorian Johnson at about a point identified by the search request "2995 Canfield Drive, Ferguson, MO".

Police Officer Darren Wilson encountered Michael Brown and Dorian Johnson
at a point identified as 2995 Canfield Drive in Ferguson, Missouri,
on GoogleMaps.Com

According to my previous article, Michael Brown and Dorian Johnson turned the corner at West Florissant Avenue and Canfield Drive at 11:56 a.m.

According to Google Maps, a normal walk (three miles an hour) from that intersection to the encounter point takes about five minutes. Thus, Brown and Johnson reached the encounter point at about (11:56 + 5 minutes = )  12:01.

At a normal walking speed, Brown and Johnson walked about five minutes
from the intersection of West Florissant Avenue and Canfield Drive, 
according to GoogleMaps.com

Also according to Google Maps, the a normal drive from Glenark Drive (where Wilson helped a sick child) to the same point lasts about two minutes.

At a normal driving speed, Wilson drove about two minutes
from Glenark Avenue to the encounter point,
according to GoogleMaps.com

It is not plausible that Wilson arrived at the encounter point at 12:02 and then Policeman McDonald and Policeman Highmont passed the SCS compound a mere ten seconds later, at 12:02:10. Wilson himself has estimated that the entire incident -- from the moment of the encounter to the moment of the fatal gunshot -- lasted about one minute. Therefore, he must have arrived at the encounter point at about 12:01.

If he arrived at the encounter point at about 12:01 and if the trip from Glenark Drive to the encounter point lasted about two minutes, then he departed Glenark Drive at about 11:59    

According to the Event Report for the "Sick Case" (page 14), Wilson reported his departure from Glenark Drive at exactly 12:00:00 noon. Therefore, he reported his departure about one minute after he actually departed.

At exactly noon, Wilson reported his departure from Glenark Drive

Based on the above arguments, I elaborate my timeline as follows:

11:56:00 -- Brown and Wilson, walking, turn onto Canfield Drive and continue walking at a normal speed.

11:59:00 -- Wilson departs from Glenark Drive and drives at a normal speed.

12:00:00 -- Wilson informs the dispatcher about his departure.

12:01:00 -- Brown and Johnson and Wilson all arrive at the encounter point. Wilson admonishes Brown and Johnson to walk on the sidewalk. They continue to walk in the middle of the street. Brown curses Wilson, who then notices that Brown is holding a handful of cigarillos.

12:01:05 -- Wilson sends a radio request for help, which is heard by Policeman McDonald and Policeman Highmont, both of whom begin to travel toward Canfield Drive. This radio transmission is not received, however, by either the CAD or Event Report systems.

12:01:10 -- Wilson backs his vehicle and blocks Brown's and Johnson's path. Brown and Wilson began fighting through the vehicle's window. Johnson runs away.

12:01:40 -- Wilson shoots a bullet through his vehicle door. Brown runs away. Wilson shoots a second bullet through his window to clear a handgun jam.

12:01:50 -- Wilson again sends a radio request for help, using the same words. Wilson exits his vehicle and chases Brown.

12:02:10 -- Policeman McDonald and Policeman Highmont turn onto Canfield Drive and pass the SCS compound, which films them.

12:02:15 -- Policeman McDonald and Policeman Highmont hear Wilson's final four gunshots.

12:02:22 -- Policeman McDonald and Policeman Highmont report to the dispatcher that they have arrived at the scene in response to Wilson's radio request.

The events on Canfield Drive lasted six minutes

In a previous article, I explained that a business called Shopping Center Services (SCS) had a system of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, which included the following:

* Camera 2 was pointed northwest toward the intersection of West Florissant Avenue and Canfield Drive.

 * Camera 11 was pointed north toward Canfield Drive.

Shopping Center Services had a CCTV system, in which
Camera 2 was pointed northewest toward the intersection and
Camera 11 was pointed north toward Canfield Drive.

The SCS CCTV clock ran 18 minutes ahead of the Ferguson Police dispatch clock. In the following, I will correct the SCS CCTV clock readings by subtracting 18 minutes and then rounding to the minute.

According to the Investigative Report, pages 167-168, the SCS CCTV cameras recorded:

** Camera 2 recorded that Brown and Johnson, walking, turned from West Florissant Avenue onto Canfield Drive at 12:13:59 pm. -- corrected to 11:56 a.m.

** Camera 11 recorded that two Ferguson Police sport utility vehicles -- Policeman McDonald and Policeman Highmont -- drove past SCS on Canfield Drive at 12:20:07 and 12:20:12 p.m. -- corrected to 12:02 p.m.

The difference between 11:56 a.m. and 12:02 p.m. is six minutes. The following events provide context.

*** According to the Event Report for the "Sick Case" (page 14), Police Officer Darren Wilson had departed from the home of a sick child on Glenark Drive by 12:00:00 noon.

*** According to the Event Report for the "Disturbance in Progress" (page 17, "Open"), Wilson reported a disturbance on Canfield Drive at 12:01:50.

*** According to the Event Report for the "Disturbance in Progress" (page 17, "Arrival"), the police cars of Policeman McDonald and Policeman Highmont arrived at the killing scene at 12:02:22.

A Time-Line of Events on West Florissant Avenue

I will use the following abbreviations:

* WFA = West Florissant Avenue

* PRA = Parkridge Apartments

* B&J = Michael Brown and Dorian Johnson.

* MC = Monte Carlo.

PMcD = Policeman McDonald

PHM = Policeman Highmount

QT = QuikTrip store

-----

11:45:57 -- B&J, walking, turn south from Canfield Drive onto WFA.

11:48:30 -- Darren Wilson, from PRA,  drives north on WFA to help sick child.

11:50:50 -- The MC driver enters the Market's front door.

11:51:04 -- Brown enters the Market.

11:51:42 -- The MC driver exits the store but stops and holds its front door open.

11:51:57 -- The Market's female clerk calls the police dispatcher

11:52:07 -- The Monte Carlo driver lets the store's front door close.

11:52:15 -- Brown exits the Market

11:52:29 -- The male clerk shouts at B&J that the police are being called.

11:52:43 -- The Monte Carlo begins driving out of the Market's parking lot.

11:52:45 -- B&J cross WFA across from the McDonald's restaurant.

11:52:53 -- The clerks inform the dispatcher that B&J are walking toward the QT.

11:53:54 -- The dispatcher broadcasts the stealing-in-progress message.

11:54:51 -- PMcD arrives at the Market's south driveway.

11:55:00 -- PMcD turns north onto WFA.

11:55:06 -- PMcD reports that he doesn't see anyone in a white T-shirt walking north.

11:55:30 -- PMcD tells the dispatcher something about the McDonald's restaurant.

11:55:59 -- B&J, walking, turn east from WFA onto Canfield Drive.

11:57:00 -- PMcD returns to the Market to question the clerks.

11:57:47 -- PMcD informs the dispatcher that Brown is wearing a red cap and yellow socks.

11:58:00 -- PHM, still at PRA, offers to help PMD look for B&J.

11:58:00 -- PMcD leaves the Market and heads north on WFA toward the QT.

11:58:30 -- PMcD drives past Canfield Drive and perhaps is seen by B&J.

11:59:15 -- PMcD arrives at the QuikTrip and goes inside to look for B&J.

12:00:00 -- Wilson he is leaving the sick child's home and offers to help PMcD

12:01:50 -- Wilson reports that he needs help on Canfield Drive. PMcD leaves QT to help.

12:02:15 -- Driving on Canfield Drive PMcD hears the last four gunshots.

12:02:22 -- PMcD finds Wilson on Canfield Drive.

Three Ferguson police officers were patrolling the area

During the half hour before Michael Brown stole cigarillos from the Ferguson Market and Liquor store, three police officers assembled to handle an incident near the Park Ridge Apartment Complex's main entrance (Track 340), which was a short distance west from the Ferguson Market and Liquor store. The below image shows the short distance. 

Three police offers assembled for an incident in
Park Ridge Apartments during the half-hour
before Brown stole the cigarillos
inside the Ferguson Market.

The three police officers' call signs were:

Frank 21 = Police Officer Darren Wilson 

Frank 22 = a police officer whom I will call Policeman Highmont 

Frank 25 = the police officer whom I have been calling Policeman McDonald

Wilson left Park Ridge at about 11:47 -- about five minutes before Brown stole the cigarillos -- in response to a dispatcher call to help a sick child. On his way to that destination, he drove east on Canfield Drive.

The second police officer to leave Park Ridge was Policeman McDonald. The Event Report (Page 15) recorded that he accepted the stealing-in-progress dispatch request at 11:53:54 and arrived at the Market at 11:54:51 a.m. -- an interval of only 57 seconds.

The Event Report listed the times for
Open = 11:51:57
Dispatch = 11:53:54
Enroute = 11:53:54
Arrival 11:54:51

Policeman McDonald's drive was only about one-tenth of a mile. 

Policeman McDonald drove from the Parkridge Apartment Complex's main gate
to the Ferguson Market and Liquor store's parking lot.

The conversation between the dispatcher and Policeman McDonald was recorded as follows:

Track 349 = Policeman in Park Ridge.
Track 350 = Policeman at Market.
Track 351, 352, 353 = Policeman on West Florissant Avenue
Track 354 = Policeman thinks suspect maybe went to McDonald's

UI = Unintelligible

(Each of these tracks had a specific time, but those times were not provided to the public. A few of the the track times were mentioned during the testimony to the grand jury. The clock for these tracks was many minutes different from the main dispatch clock, so a decision was made to delete the tracks' times, in order to minimize confusion. If the clocks had been synchronized and if each track's exact time had been specified, then this analysis would be much easier.)  

Policeman McDonald left Park Ridge at 11:53:54 in response to a dispatcher call about the Market robbery. He drove to the Market and then drove north on West Florissant Avenue, where he did not see anybody wearing a white t-shirt and walking north. Then he circled around the back of the McDonald's restaurant and returned to the Market to ask for more details about the culprit. 

Policeman McDonald's movements after he left Park Ridge Apartments

Then Policeman McDonald drove north to the QuikTrip store, north of Canfield Drive.

Policeman Highmont was still in Park Ridge when Policeman McDonald
began looking for Brown and Johnson on West Florissant Avenue.
Policeman McDonald ended his search in the QuikTrip.
Policeman Highmont was approaching Highmont Drive
when he heard Wilson's call for help. 

Policeman Highmont remained in Park Ridge but he listened to the radio conversations between Policeman McDonald and the dispatcher about the search for the black male in the white T-shirt walking north. The dispatch messages indicate the following sequence of events. 

* Policeman Highmont radioed that he had finished his tasks at Park Ridge and so would help Policeman McDonald look for the robbery suspect (Track 355). 

* Policeman McDonald radioed back to him with the new details that the suspect was wearing a red Cardinals cap, a white t-shirt, yellow socks and khaki shorts and was walking with another male up West Florissant Avenue (Track 358). This report must have occurred after 11:57:47.

* Policeman Highmont confirmed that he had finished in Park Ridge and now would join Policeman McDonald in the search for the suspects (Tracks 360 and 361). 

* Wilson radioed to the dispatcher that he had finished his assignment to the sick child (Track 364). This message occurred at 12:00:00, according to the Event Report (page 14).

* Wilson radioed to both Policeman McDonald and Policeman Highmont asking whether they needed him to help in their search (Track 366).

* Policeman McDonald radioed back that the suspect had "disappeared into the woodwork" (Track 367). I think that this communication occurred immediately after Policeman McDonald had gone into the QuikTrip and not found the two suspects there. In other words, Policeman McDonald was declaring that he was ending his search. 

* Having heard that Policeman McDonald was ending his search, Policeman Highmont radioed that he now would drive to Victoria Plaza to deal with a different problem (Track 368) -- an illegally parked car.

For further explanations of these tracks, see the dispatcher's testimony to the grand jury, beginning on page 123.)

---------

A couple hours after the incident, a detective interviewed Policeman Highmont. The Investigative Report summarized that interview as follows. 

At approximately 1:45 pm, Detective [Name] made contact with PO [Highmont], who was still at the scene. PO [Highmont] was dressed in full department uniform and was operating marked police vehicle for his shift on August 9, 2014. PO [Highmont] was scheduled to work the day shift from 6:30 am. to 6:30 pm. ...

PO [Highmont] said prior to this incident, he had been directed by dispatch to an illegally parked vehicle. P0 [Highmont] was traveling north on West Florissant Avenue approaching Highmont Drive when he heard a radio transmission from PO Darren Wilson to the dispatcher. PO [Highmont] recalled PO Darren Wilson's transmission was something to the effect of, "Frank 21, I'm on Canfield with two, send me another car."

PO [Highmont] said PO Darren Wilson's voice was composed but sounded concerned. PO [Highmont] said he worked closely with PO Darren Wilson, and he could tell by the sound of his voice that something was wrong.

PO [Highmont] activated his emergency lights and turned his patrol vehicle around in order to travel south on West Florissant Avenue toward Canfield Drive. After reaching Canfield Drive, PO. turned left, traveling east on Canfield Drive. PO [Highmont] said he arrived in the area at the same time* as PO [McDonald].

PO [Highmont] said after arriving at the scene, he observed PO Darren Wilson's marked Ferguson patrol vehicle stopped in the roadway facing west. PO [Highmont] stopped his vehicle along the south curb of the roadway and exited his vehicle. PO [Highmont] said as he exited his vehicle, he observed PO Darren Wilson standing in the roadway approximately 30 feet east of him. PO Darren Wilson had his duty weapon in his hand and was pointing it toward the ground. On the ground in front of PO Darren Wilson was an individual who was later identified as Michael Brown. ....

[Pages 10 - 11]

* According to Camera 11 at Shopping Center Services (SCS) at the corner of West Florissant Avenue and of Canfield Drive, Policeman McDonald and Policeman Highmont arrived on Canfield Drive only five seconds apart. See the Investigative Report, page 168, Timestamps 12:20:07 and 12:20:02 (the SCS clock was 18 minutes ahead of the police dispatch clock). 

B&J watched for police cars

Dorian Johnson told investigators that while walking north on West Florissant Avenue, he and Brown saw two police cars, one of which stopped at the McDonald's restaurant. Johnson figured that neither police officer had been informed about the robbery of the Ferguson Market and Liquor store. 

Johnson As we're walking down West Florissant, leaving the store, I heard the man [Market clerk] say that he would call the police, and it kind of threatened me. It got me nervous.

We still are not running [or] fast-pace walking. We still [are walking at the] same pace [as when we had been walking] to the store. We walk in front of the store just as normal and calm in plain day.

We [have] not even fully passed McDonald's. We're not on the same side of the store [Ferguson Market] any more. We crossed right in front of the store. ....

Upon the time walking on West Florissant, I saw police cars. It made me a little nervous, because I thought he [the store clerk] just called the police.

The strangest thing happened, though. None of the police cars we saw driving down West Florissant even stopped at the store. One [police car] stopped at McDonald's. .....  

One [police car] kept going, and I didn't really pay attention to where the other one going. 

I know for sure they didn't stop at the store. 

So that's when I figured that he [the Market clerk] probably try to scare us, because I don't think he made the call at all.

Detective He [the clerk] is bluffing you.

Johnson  That's what I thought.

[Pages 8 - 9; emphasis added]

As Brown and Johnson walked northward, they continually looked for police cars and frequently looked backward toward the Market. They did see police cars twice. On those occasions, they could briefly move off of the sidewalk so that they would not be noticed by the police officers. 

Brown and Johnson might have been walking past the Northland Chop Suey restaurant when they saw the first police car, which eventually "stopped at McDonald's". They could have hidden briefly behind that business so that the patrol officer did not see them. 

Another possibility is that they entered the gate of the Shopping Center Services compound, which was surrounded by a fence. 

(Shopping Center Services is located at 9292 West Florissant Avenue, Ferguson, Missouri, and you can study that area by searching for that address on GoogleMaps.com)

Brown and Johnson might have hidden
behind the Chop Suey restaurant
or inside the SCS fence.

Brown and Johnson exited the Market at 11:52:15
and perhaps were passing Northland Chop Suey
or Shopping Center Services at 11:55. 

Since neither of the two police cars seemed to go to the Market, Brown and Johnson decided mistakenly that the Market clerk had bluffed them about the police being called.

-----

When Brown and Johnson saw the police car stop at McDonald's, they did not realize that it had stopped already at the Market. They did not see the police car until it turned north onto West Florissant Avenue, and then they saw it turn west into the McDonald's parking lot. 

Brown and Johnson saw Policeman McDonald
drive into the McDonald's parking lot

That police car was driven by an unidentified police officer, whom for the sake of convenience I name Policeman McDonald. He was looking for a Black male wearing a white t-shirt and walking north (toward the QuikTrip store). At 11:55, he sent a radio message saying that he did not see anybody wearing a white t-shirt and walking north. 

Brown and Johnson did not turn east onto Canfield Drive until 11:56.

My explanation for Policeman McDonald's failure to see Brown and Johnson was that they were looking around and behind themselves as they walked, and they  hid off the sidewalk briefly as soon as they glimpsed the police car.   

Policeman McDonald circled around behind the McDonald's restaurant and returned to the Market. There, he asked the clerks for more details about the culprit. Then he got back into his police car and sent a radio report to the police dispatcher at 11:57:47. He said that the culprit was wearing also a red baseball cap and yellow socks, was walking with another male, and was walking toward the QuikTrip store. 

Perhaps Brown actually mentioned the QuikTrip store to the male clerk during the cigarillo transaction. Policeman McDonald told the police dispatcher that the culprits were walking toward the QuikTrip, and then he drove to that destination.  

I estimate that Policeman McDonald passed the intersection of Canfield Drive at about 11:58:30. If so, Brown and Johnson already had been walking east on Canfield Drive for about 2½ minutes. It's possible that they happened to look back and glimpsed Policeman McDonald drive through the intersection, north to the QuikTrip. If so, then this glimpse would account for the second police car that Johnson mentioned in his testimony. 

Brown and Johnson saw Policeman McDonald
driving toward the QuikTrip store

Another possible explanation for Johnson's mention of a second police car is that he might have seen some car that looked like a police car. For example, Johnson might have seen a county sheriff's car, a parking-enforcement car, or a police car from some other jurisdiction.

Brown was not seen walking north at 11:55

The telephone call from the Market's female clerk to the police dispatcher began at 11:51:57 a.m. As the police dispatcher was questioning the clerk, while Brown and Johnson still were on the store's premises, the dispatcher broadcast the following radio report to the area's police officers (Track 349):

We're taking a stealing-in-progress from 9101 West Florissant. .... Subject may be leaving the business at the time. Stand by for further. 

As the end of the phone conversation, the dispatcher typed the following note at 11:52:53 a.m. (Page 15 of 19, Event Report, Stealing in Progress).

white shirt b/m qt box cigars

This note meant that the suspect -- a Black male in a white t-shirt and carrying a box of cigars -- was headed from the Market at 9101 West Florissant Avenue toward the QuikTrip ("qt" in the note) store at 10768 West Florissant Avenue. Before that note was written at 11:52:53, the male clerk had seen Brown and Johnson cross the street and head north. 

Brown was a wearing a white t-shirt and was 6'4" tall.  

At 11:55:06, the policeman could not see Brown
walking north on West Florissant Avenue.
Brown was 6'4" tall and wearing a white t-shirt
and bright yellow socks.

Brown and Johnson reached the corner of West Florissant Avenue and Canfield Drive at 11:56 and then turned right onto Canfield Drive.  

Walking north, Brown and Johnson reached
the corner of West Florissant Avenue and Canfield Drive
at 11:56 a.m.

Meanwhile, the Event Report (Page 15) recorded that a police officer -- I call him Policeman McDonald -- accepted the dispatch request at 11:53:54 and arrived at the Market at 11:54:51 a.m. -- an interval of only 57 seconds.

The Event Report listed the times for
Open = 11:51:57
Dispatch = 11:53:54
Enroute = 11:53:54
Arrival 11:54:51

The conversation between the dispatcher and Policeman McDonald was recorded as follows:

Track 349 = Policeman in Park Ridge.
Track 350 = Policeman at Market.
Track 351, 352, 353 = Policeman on West Florissant Avenue
Track 354 = Policeman thinks suspect maybe went to McDonald's

UI = Unintelligible

(Each of these tracks had a specific time, but those times were not provided to the public. A few of the the track times were mentioned during the testimony to the grand jury. The clock for these tracks was many minutes different from the main dispatch clock, so a decision was made to delete the tracks' times, in order to minimize confusion. If the clocks had been synchronized and if each track's exact time had been specified, then this analysis would be much easier.)  

I figure that Policeman McDonald's entire drive included the following movements. 

Policeman McDonald drove from Parkridge Apartments Complex's main gate
to the Ferguson Market and Liquor store in less than one minute.

.

My speculated route of the police officer
who responded to the 911 dispatch

In Track 349, Policeman McDonald responded, "I'm right here," because he was at nearby Parkridge Apartments. Within one minute, he "responded to the location" -- he drove into the Market's parking lot at 11:54:51. He remained in his police vehicle and talked with the dispatcher, who told him to look for "a black male in a white t-shirt running toward QuikTrip" (Track 350).

Policeman McDonald immediately drove back out of the Market's parking lot, drove east to West Florissant Avenue and turned north (toward QuikTrip) at about 11:55:00. As he drove north, he looked for the suspect and talked with the dispatcher (Tracks 351, 352, 353)

At 11:55:06, the dispatcher typed a note that Policeman McDonald had told her that nobody was walking northbound in a white T-shirt. (Review the Event Report at the beginning of this article, specifically the Incident Notes in the lower part.) This note corresponds with Track 353. 

In the above series of tracks, Track 354 is blank ("UI" = "unintelligible) , because the transcriber could not understand the recording. However, when the dispatcher testified to the grand jury, the dispatcher (rather than the transcriber) listened to the track's audio recording and interpreted it as follows:

Prosecutor Can you hear what they're saying? 

Dispatcher Yes. 

Prosecutor What did they say? 

Dispatcher They're saying "Mickey D's". 

[....] 

Prosecutor Do you know what he means by Mickey D's or what do you assume he means? 

Dispatcher He means McDonald's, which was right next door to the Ferguson Market. Possibly he was inferring that the subject may have gone into the McDonald's. 

[Page 123]

Already during the conversations recorded on Tracks 351, 352 and 353, Policeman McDonald evidently was reasoning that the suspect -- who could not be seen walking north -- perhaps had detoured into the vicinity of the McDonald's restaurant. 

In Track 354, Policeman McDonald told the dispatcher that he intended to look around the McDonald's restaurant. As soon as he drove into the parking lot, he surely paused and looked north again from this different vantage point. He still did not see a black male wearing a white T-shirt. 

I think that Policeman McDonald then drove to the parking lot's rear end and then circled around and returned to the Market (see the image above).

---------

When Policeman McDonald returned to the Market, he interviewed the two clerks. Based on those interviews, he later wrote an Offense/Incident Report that included descriptions of his own actions. Some of the words were whited-out in the copy that was released to the public, but most of those words can be guessed. 

The police officer drove from the Park Ridge Apartment Complex
to the Market, where the dispatcher radioed to him
a description of the suspect,
"a black male in a white t-shirt walking northbound".
The police officer did not see the suspect in that area. 

In the above part of the Offense/Incident Report, Policeman McDonald described his own initial movements as follows:

On 08/09/2014 at approximately 11:51 hours, while on a call in the Park Ridge Apartment Complex, immediately located behind [words whited-out], I received a call for a stealing in progress at [Ferguson Market] ([9101] W Florissant Ave). 

I responded to that location and was given a description by dispatch of a B/M [Black male] in a white t-shirt walking northbound on W Florissant, toward QuickTrip ([9420] W Florissant Ave). I did not see the suspect in the area, so I returned to [Ferguson Market] to contact the employee there. 

Policeman McDonald's estimate that he received the call at 11:51 is mistaken. The dispatcher's broadcast about the stealing-in-progress occurred at 11:53:54.

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In Track 352, Policeman McDonald asked the dispatcher whether the female clerk could provide any more details about the suspect. In Track 353, the dispatcher told Policeman McDonald that the female clerk on the phone could not provide more details to the dispatcher and so Policeman McDonald would have to go into the Market and ask the clerks for further details.  

Policeman McDonald therefore drove to the Market, went inside and questioned the clerks. Then he forwarded those details to the dispatcher, who typed following Incident Note (see the Event Report at the beginning of this article) at 11:57:45.

08/09/2014  11:57:47  Suspect wearing red Cards [Cardinals] cap, yellow socks, w/another male suspect walking towards QT [QuikTrip] at this time.

Based on this time, I estimate that Policeman McDonald completed his drive around the McDonald's restaurant and then came into the Market at about 11:57. 

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I summarize the sequence of events as follows (1:45 is subtracted from the Market's video clock, to match the police dispatch clock):

11:52:15 -- Brown and Johnson exit the Market while the female clerk already is talking by phone with the 911 dispatcher. 

11: 52:29 -- The male clerk exits the Market and watches Brown and Johnson walking out of the parking lot, toward the McDonald's. 

11:52:30 -- The dispatcher broadcasts the stealing-in-progress report (Track 349). The male clerk yells to Brown and Johnson that the police are being called. The clerk hopes that Brown and Johnson still might return to the store to give back or to pay for the cigarillos.   
11:52:43 -- The white Monte Carlo begins to drive out of the Market's parking lot.

11:52:45 -- Brown and Johnson cross the Avenue and reach a point across from the McDonald's restaurant. They continue walking north. 

11:52:47 -- The male clerk stops watching and goes back into the store, where he informs the female clerk, who informs the 911 dispatcher, that Brown and Johnson are on the street's far side, walking north toward the QuikTrip store.  

11:52:53 -- The 911 dispatcher types a note -- "white shirt b/m qt box cigars" [black male wearing a white shirt and carrying a box of cigars walking toward QuickTrip]. 

11:53:00 -- The white Monte Carlo turns north from Ferguson Avenue onto West Florissant Avenue.

11:53:15 -- The white Monte Carlo passes Brown and Johnson as they are walking north. Perhaps the driver paused to talk with Brown and Johnson.    

11:53:54 -- Policeman McDonald responds that he would accept the dispatch and that he is enroute immediately toward the Market. 

11:54:51 -- Policeman McDonald reports to the dispatcher that he has arrived at the Market. The dispatcher responds that the suspect is a Black male in a white t-shirt who is carrying a box of cigars and running toward the QuikTrip (Track 350).

11:55:00 -- Policeman McDonald turns north onto West Florissant Avenue.

11:55:06 -- Policeman McDonald tells the dispatcher that he does not see anybody in a white T-shirt to the north.

11:55:59 -- Brown and Johnson, walking, reach the corner and turn east onto Canfield Drive. 

11:57:00 -- Policeman McDonald, having looked north and then having circled around the McDonald's restaurant, enters the Market to question the witnesses.

11:57:47 -- Having interviewed the two clerks, Policeman McDonald tells the dispatcher new details about Brown (cap, socks, another male).

B&J were on West Florissant Avenue for ten minutes

A business called Shopping Center Services (SCS) was located at 9292 West Florissant Avenue, at the southeast corner of the intersection of West Florissant Avenue and Canfield Drive. According to the Investigative Report (pages 167-168) SCS had a system of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, and three of the cameras were pointed at that corner's sidewalks.

-- Camera 11 was pointed north, toward Canfield Drive.

-- Camera 2 was pointed northwest, toward the intersection.

-- Camera 9 was pointed south, toward West Florissant Avenue.

The following images were taken from Google Maps.

Location of Shopping Center Services at the intersection of
West Florissant Avenue and Canfield Drive
in Ferguson, Missouri

Satellite view of Shopping Center Services at the intersection of
West Florissant Avenue and Canfield Drive
in Ferguson, Missouri

The street view can be seen on this webpage.

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The SCS CCTV system's clock ran 18 minutes ahead of the Ferguson Police Department's dispatch clock. This difference can be calculated because

* Camera 11 filmed Police Officer McDonald passing by SCS on Canfield Drive toward the shooting location at 12:20:07 according to the SCS CCTV clock

* The police events log indicates that Police Officer McDonald passed SCS at about 12:02:07, according to the police dispatch clock.

Correcting all the SCS camera times by those 18 minutes, Brown and Johnson were filmed at that corner at the following times.

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Walking to the store:

11:44:40 = Brown and Johnson are walking on Canfield Drive's north sidewalk toward West Florissant Avenue -- Camera 11 at 12:02:40

11:45:28 = Brown and Johnson are crossing to Canfield Drive's south sidewalk -- Camera 11 at 12:03:28

11:45:57 = Brown and Johnson are turning the corner and are beginning to walk south on West Florissant Avenue's east sidewalk -- Camera 2 at 12:03:57

11:47:24 = Brown and Johnson are continuing to walk south -- Camera 9 at 12:05:24

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Walking from the store:

11:55:22 = Brown and Johnson are walking north on West Florissant Avenue's east sidewalk -- Camera 9 at 12:13:22

11:55:59 = Brown and Johnson are turning the corner east onto Canfield Drive -- Camera 2 at 12:13:59

11:56:33 = Brown and Johnson are walking on Canfield Drive -- Camera 11 at 12:14:33

11:56:53 = Brown and Johnson begin passing a different fence and so disappear from the camera's view -- Camera 11 at 12:14:53

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This image shows the beginning of the different fence that blocked the camera's view.

The thicker, darker line is a fence that blocked the camera's view
of Brown and Johnson as they continued walking east on
Canfield Drive. 

In the above list, two times are highlighted in red -- 11:45:57 and 11:55:59. The first time in the moment when Brown and Johnson turned onto West Florissant Avenue on their way to the store, and the second times is the moment when they turned off of West Florissant Avenue on their way from the store. The difference between the two times is about ten minutes.

This ten minutes includes the time -- about one minute and 21 seconds -- that they spent on the store's premises.