Hey, CNN, this is what an eyewitness looks like. You may recognize her from CNN.
Carol Costello, the host of CNN Newsroom, was really on a roll today with her coverage of events in Ferguson, Missouri, in the aftermath of an unarmed black teenager being gunned down by a white police officer on August 9. Her focus?
DIFFERENT ACCOUNTS OF SHOOTING
... with Costello presenting a line of photos of the four main witnesses who have come forward to tell what they saw that day: Dorian Johnson, Tiffany Mitchell, Piaget Crenshaw and Michael Brady, with Costello saying that there are "seven or eight discrepancies of the eyewitness testimonies" that are "likely be used to break down their credibility" should they ever be called to testify on what they saw that day.
And indeed, depending on where they were and their own points of view, there were some minor differences in their stories. But here is what three of those witnesses agree on: Michael Brown was running away, Officer Darren Wilson was shooting at him, Brown stopped and turned around—with his arms raised, according to Johnson and Mitchell—before being shot multiple times. Michael Brady, who ran outside after seeing the initial altercation from his apartment window, saw Brown falling to the pavement as Wilson shot him three or four more times.
And then, Costello breathlessly tells us:
Other witnesses tell a different story.
And we get ... a silhouette, the name "Josie" and a graphic saying:
Brown shoved Wilson into car, officer fired in self defense.
So, who is
"Josie"? That would be the anonymous, alleged friend of Darren Wilson's girlfriend, who was allegedly told Wilson's version of events, before calling in to tell the alleged second-hand story to a right-wing radio show.
That would be the other witness telling a different story. Except for, you know, that part about not actually being a witness.
Nice job, Carol.
