911 Call audiotape
This transcript should end a lot of speculation on what and what was or not said in the home owner's 911 call that brought the police to the scene.
Some implications below the fold.
My take on this tragic event is that the over arching issue is the demonization of black males, such that the first assumption made by whites is that a black male is a threat or a danger. That assumption shuts down rational thought and analysis
This demonization is manifest in the homeowner's response. From the call, we know conclusively that she opened the door, thinking it was her husband. Upon seeing a black guy standing there, she slams the door and assumes she is being robbed and that she and her child are in grave danger.
She reports that Ferrell is breaking in and but then later reports in fearful and tearful terms that he is out on the front lawn yelling, which seems to frighten her than when he was banging on the door. She laments that she does not know where her husband's guns are and continues to panic throughout the call.
Soon the police come to the scene prepared for an engagement with a dangerous criminal and the tragic spiral reaches its fatal conclusion.
I am not holding the homeowner responsible. Ultimately, the trained professionals were the police and they should have handled the situation differently. However, the underlying point is that in today's America, it is very dangerous for an injured black man to seek help in a low crime, white neighborhood. The woman clearly did not try to ascertain why Jonathan Ferrell was knocking at her door and if she had had her husband's gun handy, she would have likely shot first and ask questions later.
I think the events would have unfolded quite differently if an injured white man had been knocking on her door. This powerful video from a 20/20 report illustrates the point. They had actors black and white go through the motions of stealing a chained bike. The different responses are striking and in some cases, they can be the difference between life an death:
http://www.youtube.com/...