Ferguson was the center of attention in the U.S. and most parts of the world on Tuesday. The decision not to indict officer Darren Wilson upset thousands of Americans on Monday. Riots broke out within the hour of the decision, and protests began in various parts of the United States.
On Tuesday, though most of the protests were peaceful, others were violent. The NPR reports that on Tuesday morning, Ferguson business owners and employees were shocked by the destruction brought to their livelihood on Monday night. Images of burned police cruisers, broken windows, and melted plastic pervaded the Internet. On Tuesday, protesters set another cruiser on fire.
Michael Brown’s family released a statement urging for peaceful protests after the Grand Jury’s decision was made. However, Brown’s stepfather shouted “Burn this b----- down,” several times in response to the Grand Jury’s lack of charges against officer Wilson. Yahoo News recorded the footage of Brown’s mother crying and his stepfather, Louis Head, shouting.
The public heavily criticizes the Grand Jury’s decision. From Manhattan to Los Angeles, thousands of protesters filled the streets demanding justice for Michael Brown. According to many protesters, officer Wilson used lethal force without proper reason. Allegations of racism and prejudice against young African Americans by white police officers are being thrown at the Ferguson officer.
Officer Darren Wilson, who is six feet and four inches tall, claims that he used lethal force under threat. Michael Brown, weighing 285 pounds and 72 inches tall according to autopsies, was shot seven times. None of the entry wounds were from the back, and only one of the shots was fired point blank, which was at Brown’s hand.
Wilson claims that he was immensely overpowered by Brown and feared for his life. According the Kansas City Star, in an interview with detectives Wilson said, “When [Brown] stopped, he turned, looked at me, made like a grunting noise and had the most intense, aggressive face I’ve ever seen on a person.”
“During his first stride, he took his right hand put it under his shirt and into his waistband. And I ordered him to stop and get on the ground again. He didn’t. I fired, a, multiple shots. After I fired the multiple shots I paused for a second, yelled at him to get on the ground again, he was still in the same state. Still charging, hands still in his waistband, hadn’t slowed down. I fired another set of shots,” said Wilson.
The New York Times provided court released documents regarding witness accounts, Brown’s autopsy, and further evidence of the crime scene. Out of the dozens of witness accounts, most have varying opinions and facts.
Key components of the events leading up to the shooting, and the shooting itself, remain unclear. One of the key components is whether Brown surrendered to the officer, or whether he charged at the officer. Both possibilities were expressed in witness accounts.
