There's a new story up at fox.com with some rather detailed quotes from an anonymous source at the Ferguson police department. While Fox predictably leads with the sensationalist (and wholly subjective) comment that Wilson was 'beaten severely,' if you look at what the source is saying, couched behind the sensational language, there are actually several concessions and new bits of information. For one, it seems the FPD is no longer involved in the investigation and the evidence for the grand jury probe is being prepared by St. Louis police. The FPD is obviously not happy about this and has basically gone into a full PR broadside at their critics while also playing Wilson's advocate in the press. In doing so however, they have already been forced to change several parts of Wilson's story due to the emerging consensus described in today's NYT.
For those of you who care to cross the dividing line and read the article at fox, you can find it here. For those who don't have the stomach, I will quote the key parts below.
http://www.foxnews.com/...
So, let's pull out our trusty FPD translators and begin some of this new information.
Darren Wilson, the Ferguson, Mo., police officer whose fatal shooting of Michael Brown touched off more than a week of demonstrations, suffered severe facial injuries, including an orbital (eye socket) fracture, and was nearly beaten unconscious by Brown moments before firing his gun, a source close to the department's top brass told FoxNews.com.
“The Assistant (Police) Chief took him to the hospital, his face all swollen on one side,” said the insider. “He was beaten very severely.”
Translation:
1. Swelling is the extent of Wilson's injuries. He was not in danger of any further complications from the 'orbital (eye socket) fracture.
2. The FPD is now acknowledging that Wilson fired his gun early in the confrontation, despite previous denials. The NYT also says that nearly all witnesses agree that Wilson fired as Brown was running away. (can't find original article now for link and I've used up my quota of free articles)
“They ignored him and the officer started to get out of the car to tell them to move," the source said. "They shoved him right back in, that’s when Michael Brown leans in and starts beating Officer Wilson in the head and the face.
Translation:
1. The police are now acknowledging that Brown was standing outside the car leaning in when the fight took place. THere is no more talk of Brown being inside the car. If that's true, I'd like to know what Mr. Brown's wing span was because Wilson's gun was holstered on his right side. Could Brown even have reached it?
The source claims that there is "solid proof" that there was a struggle between Brown and Wilson for the policeman’s firearm, resulting in the gun going off – although it still remains unclear at this stage who pulled the trigger. Brown started to walk away according to the account, prompting Wilson to draw his gun and order him to freeze. Brown, the source said, raised his hands in the air, and turned around saying, "What, you're going to shoot me?"
Translation:
1. The FPD was not able to find any proof that Michael Brown touched the gun, only that there was "struggle". If Brown's prints are not on the gun, then I'm sorry it's not "unclear" who fired it. It's only unclear because you don't like the answer.
2. If there was a struggle for the gun and a pulled trigger, how can Wilson then 'draw' his gun after getting out of the car? Isn't it already drawn?
3. (and this is the big one) The FPD is now acknowledging that Mike Brown had his hands up. They are not refuting it. Instead, they are trying to explain it away with the below:
At that point, the source told FoxNews.com, the 6 foot, 4 inch, 292-pound Brown charged Wilson, prompting the officer to fire at least six shots at him, including the fatal bullet that penetrated the top of Brown's skull, according to an independent autopsy conducted at the request of Brown's family.
So now the story is that Brown had his hands up but that he was doing so sarcastically and THEN proceeded to charge Wilson.
Now personally I think that raises the bar quite high for Wilson to back up his story. If it can be proven, as some witnesses say, that Wilson fired his gun while Brown was running, why would Michael then have to ask "What, you're going to shoot me?" The dude's already fired.
Also, notice the almost passive aggressive way they say that Brown "walked away" rather than ran. This reminds me of George Zimmerman saying Trayvon was skipping. If you punch a cop and then his gun goes off and is fired at you, are you gonna walk or RUN THE FUCK OUT OF THERE? I think we all know the answer.
Last but not least comes the really dickish part of the interview:
On Friday, Ferguson police released surveillance video showing Brown stealing cigars from a convenience store just before his death. Jackson came under intense criticism for disclosing the tape and a related police report as he also insisted that the alleged robbery and the encounter with Wilson were unrelated matters. Brown’s family, through their attorney, suggested the tape’s release was a strategic form of “character assassination.”
However, FoxNews.com’s source insisted that there was absolutely no spin agenda behind the tape’s release and that there were a number of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) media requests filed by media outlets seeking it. Tom Jackson is said to have waited on publicly releasing it, and did not want it shown until Brown’s grieving mother first had the chance to see it.
“He defied the FOIAs as long as he could,” noted the insider. “A powerful, ugly spin has completely ruined public discourse on this whole situation.”
We didn't wanna release it! The justice department didn't wanna release it! But ohhh you mean people in the media asked for it and we had no choice. Shame on you, you made Mike Brown's mother cry.