An eyewitness saw the Monte Carlo turn around on Canfield Drive

A male eyewitness was questioned by two FBI special agents on August 18 and by the grand jury (page 226) on November 4, 2014. The grand jury designated him as Witness 54, and the US Justice Department designated him as Witness 129. I will call him Stairwell Man.

He lived in a second-story apartment and was sitting on his stairwell when the incident began on Canfield Drive. (My previous article described the apartment buildings' standard features.)

Stairwell Man began watching the incident when Police Officer Darren Wilson stopped his vehicle to admonish Dorian Johnson and Michael Brown to walk on the sidewalk. Because some of his view was blocked by another building, he could not see Brown and Wilson after they ran far east on Canfield Drive. 

The Justice Department's report evaluated him as credible, but remarked that he did not see Police Officer Darren Wilson do anything blameworthy.

Witness 129's statements were materially consistent with each other and consistent with other credible evidence. However, Witness 129's account does not inculpate Wilson and therefore does not support a federal prosecution. 

[Page 43]

Stairwell Man's location can be deduced from a remark told to the grand jury that he saw Brown kick off his flip-flop sandals.

Stairwell Man  The altercation is still going on, because Mike Brown never left the truck.After that, I see Mike Brown run east and his flip-flops fall off. And then he keeps going past the building where I couldn't see him any more.  

That's when I seen the officer get out of the truck and fire more shots. 

[....] 

Prosecutor  You mentioned that you saw his flip-flops come off?

Stairwell Man  Yes. 

[Pages 239 - 241]

Because another building blocked his view, Stairwell Man could not see, however, Wilson fire the final, fatal gunshots. 

Stairwell Man could see Brown kick off his flip-flop sandals (blue dots).
Because a building blocked his view, however,
he could not see Wilson fire the final, fatal gunshots.

Below is another view of the sandals' locations.

Marker 6 is Brown's left sandal.
Marker 7 is Brown's right sandal.

Stairwell Man saw Brown kick off both sandals,
but could not see Wilson fire the final, fatal gunshots.

Stairwell Man told the grand jury that Wilson got out of his police vehicle and soon began shooting at Brown's back as Brown was running away. Then Wilson passed beyond Stairwell Man's vision, which was blocked by another building. Wilson reappeared in view briefly and then disappeared again and resumed shooting. 

Prosecutor  Can you see the officer the whole time he's shooting?

Stairwell Man  Not the whole time, because after he does the first set of shots and then he runs in this direction east and then he fires more shots. 

And then I see him walking back towards my vision.

Prosecutor  So at some point he disappears from your sight because of the building that's between the two of you?

Stairwell Man  Correct.

Prosecutor  And you hear more gunshots after that?

Stairwell Man  Yes. 

[Page 247] 

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Based on the above information, I identify Stairwell Man's apartment as follow.

From the stairwell, the view
to the police vehicle and Monte Carlo was good.

The two vehicles were
to the left of the parking lot's driveway
(beyond the photograph's left margin). 

You can see the above photograph uncropped here.

Blue = Police Vehicle
Red = white Monte Carlo
Green = Stairwell Man's maximum eastward line of sight

"I remember seeing the white car turn around in the street"

You can see the above photograph uncropped here.

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I will describe most of Stairwell Man's statement in later articles. In this article here, I will point out only a couple remarks he made about the white Monte Carlo's initial movements.

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Stairwell Man told the grand jury that the Monte Carlo was not present when he began watching the incident. The Monte Carlo arrived a short time later. 

Prosecutor  Did you see any other car, other people, down there?

Stairwell Man  Initially when the police truck stopped, it wasn't a car, but then after the traffic started coming through, I remember seeing a white car, because the second guy [Johnson], when the first shot was fired, he ran and got behind the car. 

[Page 239]

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At the end of Stairwell Man's grand-jury testimony, a juror asked whether he noticed a minivan drive into the parking lot during the incident. To all those present who had listened to all the previous witnesses, the question obviously sought to clarify the location and movements of Tiffany Mitchell. She had claimed that she drove into the parking lot while Brown still was struggling with Wilson at the police vehicle. 

In answering the grand juror's question, Stairwell man remarked casually that he had seen the white Monte Carlo turn around on Canfield Drive.

 Grand Juror  Right after the altercation -- maybe during the altercation -- at the car, did you see a minivan pull into that parking lot right directly in front of where you had been sitting and someone get out of that minivan? Or did you see anybody pulling out of that lot during this time?

Stairwell Man  I think somebody tried to come that way and turned around. 

I remember seeing the white car turn around in the street, but --

Grand Juror  [Interrupting] Someone coming from that direction -- coming from West Florissant -- that pulled into that lot?

Stairwell Man  I really can't say. ... 

[Pages 257-258]

Unfortunately, the grand juror interrupted Stairwell Man as he begin to explain something about the white Monte Carlo turning around in the street. Stairwell Man's testimony never returned to that question. 

The Special Importance of Johnson, Crenshaw and Mitchell

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.

Dorian Johnson, Piaget Crenshaw and Tiffany Mitchell.
(Image Source)

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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In a CNN summary of the incident published on August 14, the following witnesses were named (listed in order of mention):

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

2) Tiffany Mitchell

3) Piaget Crenshaw

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In a Daily Mail summary published on August 14, the following witnesses were named:

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.  

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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Seven months later, on March 4, 2015, the US Department of Justice published a report titled Department of Justice Report Regarding the Criminal Investigation into the Shooting Death of Michael Brown by Ferguson, Missouri Police Officer Darren Wilson. This report explained to the US public that those three witnesses were not credible and therefore could not be used to support any federal effort to prosecute Wilson.

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:

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.

3) Mitchell was parking her car in a nearby parking lot.

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.