I could have investigated the Michael Brown shooting scene better than the authorities did.

[Are_grits_groceries]

In the critical first minutes after a shooting, investigators are trained to follow a time-tested process of protecting the scene to ensure that evidence is not compromised, according to the experts and documents. A shooting suspect — even a police officer — must be cordoned off in a controlled area and stripped of his clothing, his weapon secured by investigators, and must be escorted by officers if he leaves.

“An officer driving himself back? Wrong. An officer booking his own gun into evidence? Wrong,” said David Klinger, an expert on police shootings with the University of Missouri at St. Louis who is also a former police officer. “The appropriate investigative procedures were not followed.’’
<snip>
Read the rest about how the shooting was investigated.
More:http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/seemingly-unorthodox-police-procedures-emerge-in-grand-jury-documents/2014/11/25/48152574-74e0-11e4-bd1b-03009bd3e984_story.html

Seriously. After watching crime shows, reading real-life police stories and detective novels, I could have produced better results that would be fairly accurate.

[lovemydog]

1. This is why so many understand what happened.

Not only did a police officer shoot eleven shots at an unarmed man, killing him with the final shot. Not only was that unarmed man 150 feet away. Not only did the police officer grossly lie and bullshit about every aspect of it.

The entire system in Ferguson failed that young man. Not in one way. In about a hundred ways.

The prosecutor bent over backwards to disbelieve the eyewitnesses. And to protect and defend - not his constituents - but the system of authority in Ferguson that is inherently racist and fundamentally flawed. It's rotten to the core.

I am heartened that so many are protesting. It must continue into something even bigger. It must turn into a nationwide movement to improve the criminal justice system.

[phil89]

30. You're heartened

by property and businesses being destroyed and by people shutting down interstates? And you think this helps? No wonder things aren't changing.

[lovemydog]

32. I'm picturing you at women's suffrage protests yelling

'They damaged someone's milk crate!'

Or at labor marches: 'Stop disrupting traffic!'

The protests got permits to peaceably assemble. Of course I don't like damage to property and businesses.

I especially don't like years and years of unarmed black people killed by police, and the criminal justice system doing nothing. I'm heartened that people gather to address grievances.

[hollysmom]

2. a blind duck could have investigated this murder better than the cops of Feerguson

maybe that is not a fair comparison, blind ducks do have some intelligence.

[lovemydog]

3. And blind ducks aren't racist authoritarians.

[uponit7771]

21. +1

[Kalidurga]

4. Well in fact most the people of DU investigated this shooting better

we actually looked at the evidence that came out unlike that McCulloch

[Jamastiene]

5. Actually, most people of DU could have done a better job and

justice might have been served. It looks like the cops in Ferguson did beyond just a shoddy investigation. It looks like they all colluded to make sure valuable evidence was swept under the rug and never seen. It's deranged how they handled that. I know most police investigations are never as thorough and as complete as the CSI shows, but I have to ask why is that? Shouldn't they have to be as thorough as possible to see to it that justice is served? They should, but they don't, because they get away with shoddy work. Protect and serve is a fucking joke. They are there to protect and serve their 1% rich ass masters and the rest of us, especially minorities, will never see justice.

[surrealAmerican]

6. Was there any incentive for them to do so?

... or do they see their job as one of protecting their co-workers?

[lovemydog]

10. There were disincentives for not doing so.

They would have been breaking from their fraternity.

[madokie]

7. There never was any intention of reprimanding wilson

For the murder.
The plan all along was to do what ever it takes to whitewash this murder. I mean in their (cops) eyes he just took out a black youth that they won't have to deal with later in life. One down and a few more to go is the mind set of so many in our police forces when it comes to black men. I know it sucks and those of us who aren't black need to get up and start rattling some cages until we get this shit stopped.
My favorite person in the whole wide world is a black man.
Yes I said that

[heaven05]

8. every thing about

this travesty screams murder and official coverup from the DINO gov all the way down to the ferguson police. It reeks to high heaven.

[Indydem]

9. No investigation is perfect.

I have no idea why anyone thinks that this investigation wouldn't be frought with human failures, as it was investigated by humans.

Perfect procedures, elaborate measurements, thousands of photographs, and even a camera feed from Wilson's perspective wouldn't be enough to change the minds of those who've already tried and convicted Wilson.

These anomalies are just reasons that those of you demanding action use to justify your demands.

Your demands will not change the facts, and the facts are that Wilson was never getting charged or going to trial for this.

[lovemydog]

11. Do you believe Wilson's story?

I don't.

[Indydem]

12. What is there not to believe?

The forensics, the physical evidence, and the most reliable eyewitnesses support his story to a tee.

You don't WANT to believe Wilsons story, so there will never be enough evidence to support his statements as far as you are concerned.

[lovemydog]

16. His story is completely unbelievable.

I've read the documents that have been released.

Wilson said Brown wrestled for the gun. It's more likely Wilson had a hold on Brown with one arm and pulled his gun out and shot at Brown with the other. And that's why Brown ran away.

Wilson said Brown later charged at him like a demon or like Hulk Hogan. It's more likely Wilson called for Brown, who then turned around, started walking toward him and then got shot six times and killed. From 150 feet away.

Wilson said Brown did not have his hands up. It's more likely that he did have his hands up to surrender, as nearly every eyewitness said. The forensic evidence does not discredit that scenario.

No one would act the way Wilson claimed Brown acted unless they were suicidal or crazy or on heavy drugs. According to all accounts, Brown wanted to live and was not drugged up or insane.

[Voice for Peace]

20. spot on.

100% how I see it too.

[lovemydog]

23. Thank you Voice for Peace.

It's pretty easy to see this scenario from the documents & transcripts that have been released.

[uponit7771]

22. That he HAD to back up into two teenagers walking across the street? tia

[Voice for Peace]

25. There is a great deal not to believe.

Where do you get this: "most reliable eyewitnesses" ?

The most reliable eyewitness was the friend he was
walking with. Watch or re-watch Chris Haye's on the
street interview with him.

[Are_grits_groceries]

15. Human failures?

They conducted no investigation of the crime scene or of Wilson using any accepted standards. These weren't anomalies as you characterize them. They didn't even try to investigate the crime properly. If they had, I would give them a fair hearing contrary to what you are claiming about my mindset.

I am not asking for perfect procedures. Nobody can do everything 100% right. That's a strawman.

I am asking for evidence to be collected in a manner that would hold up in a court. There was nobody calling the inconsistencies that Wilson had into account. In a real court where the evidence could be challenged, the police and Wilson would have been fried. All the witnesses might not have held up under scrutiny, but neither would Wilson.

As far as facts, the only FACT is that Michael Brown was killed by Darren Wilson. Everything else is under scrutiny as far as I'm concerned. However, the actions of the police and McCullough call into question everything they did. I am disinclined to trust them about anything because of their behavior and not some predisposition about the case.

[Mbrow]

13. Something else bothers me,

I'm not an expert, but I've used weapons for work off and on for 35 years, and have seen videos and read about fire fights. Thanks goodness I've never had to use one. But how do you hit anyone at 140 feet? Or even 35 feet ? With a long barrel 44 mag I can do ok at a hundred feet taking my time and shooting slow. But a 9mm or a 40 cal semi auto? Maybe a revolver, but a short barrel revolver is still inaccurate at those ranges. So either he was a lot closer or he was taking his time and aiming. Maybe just dumb luck? I doubt it.
I remember a video with four people firing at each other, the greatest distance was 6 feet away... 6 feet, 22 rounds fired and no one was hit.... Two trained police officers and two others. No one was hit! How many times was this poor kid hit from how far away? With a hand gun? My B.S. detector is off the scale.

[lovemydog]

17. In all, 11 or 12 shots were fired.

Six shots hit Brown.

The last shot, which hit him in the face, killed him.

[Mbrow]

19. Yeah, again

I'm getting a high B.S. detect, he was hit with 50% of the fire from 35 to 140 feet depending on who you believe, thats not dumb luck. It is very careful shooting at a closer range, likely closer then 35 feet. I don't know, but a guy in a rage or panic doesn't shoot that well. Some of my co workers and I were trained by ex-Seals to clear rooms on board ship and short range work is what they teach, 6 to 10 feet, because any thing else with a hand gun is way to iffy. Again I'm not sure what they teach in the police. Honesty any way you cut this the kid was unarmed and did not need to be killed.

[BootinUp]

26. The distance was closer I think

if you look at where the shells were found in the half assed not to scale drawing, it looks like he was less than 30 feet from Brown when some or most of the shots were fired. I believe they were both on the move, look at how the shells are spread out. ANd the firing was very rapid.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/national/ferguson-diagram-of-the-scene/

[Mbrow]

31. your right,

Judging from the diagram (if it is to be believed) he was a lot closer, if he got that many hits with a semi auto on rapid fire, He has had a lot of practice.

[CanonRay]

14. I have always said this case was botched from the very beginning

and that it had to be deliberate. The cops followed no procedure in processing the evidence, the shooter, or the witnesses. I could see it happening the day after the shooting and every day afterwards. This investigation was a joke, and the result could never be anything other than getting Wilson off.

[jwirr]

18. The only thing we can assume is that they are ALL an incompetant bunch of people from the

prosecutor on down to the killer.

[Spirochete]

24. Helen Keller

could have done a better job of investigating it...

[BootinUp]

27. She was an amazing woman, so I'm not sure she makes your point, lol.

[Spirochete]

29. Yes, she was brilliant

no question of that. but she was short a couple senses that would be critical to an investigator.

[Gothmog]

28. The process was flawed and designed to produce a no bill