KU Journalism Major Shreds “Case” Against Mike Brown

With all the controversy surrounding this incident, I thought ATS might be interested in some more info. The links are to the article, and the Grand Jury testimony.
Article
Grand Jury

According to this young lady, Darren Wilson's own testimony convicts him, along with investigative misconduct and failure to follow investigative protocol. The idea here, is not to rehash the same old arguments, but to look at what she has found and sourced from the hearing.
Here are a few excerpts:

-The most common misconception I’m hearing is that Mike Brown was significantly larger than Officer Wilson. This is incorrect. On page 198 of the official grand jury transcript, you can see that Officer Wilson testifies he is 6 ft 4 and weighs 210 lbs, the same size as Mike Brown.

-Ferguson Police ignored protocol and refused to interview or take a statement from the eyewitness present from Officer Wilson’s initial contact with Mike Brown until his death.

-The forensic examiner broke protocol by failing to take crime scene photos. On page 95 of the grand jury transcript, she claims that this was because her camera had died, however, she goes on to describe how she immediately followed Wilson to the hospital in order to photograph his “injuries.”
-Forensic investigators broke protocol by failing to test Officer Wilson’s gun for fingerprints, since Wilson claims that Brown grabbed his gun and caused it to misfire. Page 39, grand jury transcript.
-Darren Wilson was then allowed to break protocol by washing the blood off of himself before it could be photographed, making it impossible to analyze blood spatter patterns and determine what position Mike Brown was in when Wilson first shot him. Wilson recounts this on page 10 of his official police interview.

Please read the article for the rest of the bullet points.

It will be interesting to see what comes out of this, as more and more people read the Grand Jury Testimony. I wouldn't be surprised if this leads to a wrongful death suit. I also won't be surprised if this officer dies with "unusual" circumstances. Though I would prefer to be wrong about that. What does ATS think of this students claims and sourcing?

Well, just the fact that she got the size of Mike Brown incorrect already keeps me from even wanting to look any further. She said they were the same size and listed Wilson's height and weight. While those figures are correct for him, Brown was 290-300lbs and 6'4"-6'5". I guess her most common misconception is the same one she is pointing out. Sad that a journalism major can't get that simple first fact correct before trying to make a name for herself.....

Weight difference is around 75 pounds, however. I would consider someone who is 75 pounds heavier than me as being bigger than me. Also, I believe I have read eyewitness statements from a few people who witnessed the whole event.

You can't attack a police officer and not expect something to happen to you.

a reply to: Klassified

I found the article interesting until she claimed that wilson shot brown not from 35 feet away (which would make sense) but from get this 148 feet away (which is absurd) Wilson successfully hit brown several times with a pistol at 148 feet while the guy was fleeing. Thats some impressive shooting there. Anyone who is familiar with shooting a pistol will tell you that is some real impressive shooting and also very unlikely. SO after that it sorta casts doubts in anything else she claims.

originally posted by: BASSPLYR
a reply to: Klassified

I found the article interesting until she claimed that wilson shot brown not from 35 feet away (which would make sense) but from get this 148 feet away (which is absurd) Wilson successfully hit brown several times with a pistol at 148 feet while the guy was fleeing. Thats some impressive shooting there. Anyone who is familiar with shooting a pistol will tell you that is some real impressive shooting and also very unlikely. SO after that it sorta casts doubts in anything else she claims.

Yeah...she has a lot of discrepancies in there that I am finding....too many to point out. I think she is not going to fare so well as a journalist, unless her plan is to not have integrity and to go MSM all the way!

Hasn't the other media gone over this at the time he was not charged. There was talk of the botched investigation of the crime scene and protocols.

a reply to: Klassified

Thanks for this! I've been looking a comprehensive, bullet point outline of the inconsistencies and forensic missteps and violations of protocol! Going to go through it now.

I also won't be surprised if this officer dies with "unusual" circumstances. Though I would prefer to be wrong about that.

Meh. Maybe. Personally, I predict self destruction.

Starred and flagged!

a reply to: BASSPLYR
Did you look at her source link? See what you think after reading that. 148 feet is a long shot. No pun intended.

originally posted by: Klassified
a reply to: BASSPLYR
Did you look at her source link? See what you think after reading that. 148 feet is a long shot. No pun intended.
[url=http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/20/1346374/-BREAKING-VIDEO-Police-Lied-Mike-Brown-was-killed-148-feet-away-from-Darren-Wilson-s-SUV]Source[ /url]

Officer Wilson didn't stay beside his vehicle when he shot Brown.

I have gone through her blog and sources and she really needs to choose a different field of study....she is a FAIL at journalism and research.

originally posted by: Vasa Croe
Well, just the fact that she got the size of Mike Brown incorrect already keeps me from even wanting to look any further. She said they were the same size and listed Wilson's height and weight. While those figures are correct for him, Brown was 290-300lbs and 6'4"-6'5". I guess her most common misconception is the same one she is pointing out. Sad that a journalism major can't get that simple first fact correct before trying to make a name for herself.....

So...one mistake, and you're done? That's cool. But what about her other claims and sources?

ETA: I understand members tendency on ATS to throw the baby out with the bath water. I get it. We're quick to judge and move on. But here's the crux. If even one or two of this girls points are on the money, it calls the whole police testimony and investigation into question. To me, we should be looking to see if ANY of her arguments have merit. NOT looking to discredit her because she made some errors.

Shelby Lawson is a student at the University of Kansas, majoring in Journalism and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies

So, NOT a major/minor in Forensics or Criminal Justice. This should be fun! LET'S GO!

Mike Brown was NOT stopped because he was a suspect in crime. He and his friend Dorian Johnson were stopped for jaywalking, as Darren Wilson testifies to on page 208 of his grand jury testimony.

Incorrect. Wilson testified that as soon as he stopped Brown, he put two and two together and surmised he may have been the suspect from the robbery.

Mike Brown WAS fleeing from Officer Wilson when he was fatally shot. Wilson confirms this on page 281 of his grand jury testimony

He also testified MULTIPLE times that Brown was coming at him when he fired the fatal shot.

-Officer Wilson broke police self-defense protocol, which teaches to disarm and incapacitate rather than kill and teaches officers to go for body shots. Officer Wilson shot Mike Brown twice in the head, after he shot him four times in his arm and torso.

I wasn't aware that Wilson was a trickshot. In fact, if Wilson HAD been aiming for "center mass" and Brown WAS "charging him football player style" as Wilson testified, then a shot to the head isn't unlikely for someone aiming for center mass. If Brown was charging, his head would be lowered toward his center mass.

-Ferguson Police ignored protocol and refused to interview or take a statement from the eyewitness present from Officer Wilson’s initial contact with Mike Brown until his death.

The grand jury heard testimony from ALL witnesses, including the witness present from Wilson's first contact.

-While Officer Wilson’s story of what happened that day has changed at least three times, six separate eyewitnesses, four of whom have never met each other, all have identical accounts of what happened. They were never interviewed by police.

They did, however, get the chance to testify to the Grand Jury.

-This is backed up by Mike Brown’s autopsy, which suggests that Mike Brown would have had to be in the hands-up position for the bullets to enter his hand and arm the way they did.

I wonder which autopsy she's getting this from, in the autopsy I saw, it shows Brown's wounds were consistent of someone with their hands DOWN.

-Ferguson Police lied about the distance Mike Brown was from Officer Wilson when he was killed. They reported it was 35 ft. but it was in fact 148 ft

Brown was 148 ft away from the Police Cruiser, not Wilson.


I could go on, but I won't. If her reporting is this weak, her career won't go very far.

a reply to: ScientificRailgun
Awesome. Thanks. Did you find merit in any of her points at all? I'm still going through them myself.

originally posted by: Klassified

originally posted by: Vasa Croe
Well, just the fact that she got the size of Mike Brown incorrect already keeps me from even wanting to look any further. She said they were the same size and listed Wilson's height and weight. While those figures are correct for him, Brown was 290-300lbs and 6'4"-6'5". I guess her most common misconception is the same one she is pointing out. Sad that a journalism major can't get that simple first fact correct before trying to make a name for herself.....

So...one mistake, and you're done? That's cool. But what about her other claims and sources?

ETA: I understand members tendency on ATS to throw the baby out with the bath water. I get it. We're quick to judge and move on. But here's the crux. If even one or two of this girls points are on the money, it calls the whole police testimony and investigation into question. To me, we should be looking to see if ANY of her arguments have merit. NOT looking to discredit her because she made some errors.

Nope....but if she expects to be taken seriously as a journalist then she should have the facts right PRIOR to writing anything. In this case she is wrong on almost every point she states.

There was gunshot residue on Brown's hand AND blood from Brown found in the officers car....

The officer was NOT standing at the side of his vehicle with brown 140 ft away and shooting at him.....

Mike Brown WAS the strong armed robber at the store despite the article she references saying it wasn't him...

The Police DID interview Dorian Johnson....

Like I said....she is a shoddy journalist and should really try a different line of education.

a reply to: Klassified

I find the "35' away" lie very compelling, especially after reading the source here: Police Lie: Mike Brown was Killed 148 Feet Away from SUV. Measuring from the blood stains where Brown lie for 4 hours to the SUV is pretty irrefutable proof.

I conclude that anyone who refuses to look into this is just afraid of what they'll find... Having "taken a side" so staunchly, it would be hard to give it up, now that the facts are coming out. I only hope that further investigations will show more closely what really happened.

So many interesting contradictions in Wilson's testimony, the happenings of that day AND in the Grand Jury procedure should send a red flag to anyone who has a mind left to think with.

The size discrepancy has been corrected on the OP source. Wonder if the author is reading here.

a reply to: Vasa Croe
Thanks. Good points. One of the reasons I posted this is because I so often see people use the sources that best fit their bias. In my opinion, this young lady did that in some, not all of her "investigating", but she isn't by herself. It's done by the media, and here on ATS as well.

a reply to: Klassified

I did see some merit, yes. For instance:

-The prosecuting attorney for the case against Darren Wilson has helped raise $600,000 in donations for Darren Wilson, creating a clear conflict of interest.

I totally agree with this.

-The forensic examiner broke protocol by failing to take crime scene photos. On page 95 of the grand jury transcript, she claims that this was because her camera had died, however, she goes on to describe how she immediately followed Wilson to the hospital in order to photograph his “injuries.”

This is also inconsistent, but could be explained that the photographer obtained batteries at the hospital, or on the way, or even obtained a different camera.

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic
a reply to: Klassified

I find the "35' away" lie very compelling, especially after reading the source here: Police Lie: Mike Brown was Killed 148 Feet Away from SUV. Measuring from the blood stains where Brown lie for 4 hours to the SUV is pretty irrefutable proof.

I conclude that anyone who refuses to look into this is just afraid of what they'll find... Having "taken a side" so staunchly, it would be hard to give it up, now that the facts are coming out. I only hope that further investigations will show more closely what really happened.

So many interesting contradictions in Wilson's testimony, the happenings of that day AND in the Grand Jury procedure should send a red flag to anyone who has a mind left to think with.

The size discrepancy has been corrected on the OP source. Wonder if the author is reading here.

Maybe read the grand jury link. There is NOTHING compelling about the distance mentioned at all. This journalism major is a huge fail. Grand Jury paper people.....read it. Here is the excerpt stating that Brown ran from the vehicle and Wilson gave chase because he had just assaulted a police officer. The distance from the blood drops to the vehicle DO NOT MATTER because Wilson was not next to the vehicle when he shot Brown after the initial confrontation in the vehicle.

10 A When I look up after that, I see him start
cloud of dust behind him. I then

12 get out of my car. As I'm getting out of the car I

13 tell dispatch, "shots fired, send me more cars."

14 We start running, kind of the same

15 direction that Johnson had pointed. Across the

16 street like a diagonal towards this, kind of like

17 where the parking lot came in for Copper Creek Court
18 and Canfield, right at that intersection. And there
19 is a light pole right there, I remember him running

20 towards the light pole.

2l We pass two cars that were behind my
22 police car while we were running. I think the

23 second one was Pontiac Grand Am, a green one. I

24 don't know if it was a two door or four door, I just

25 remember seeing a Pontiac green Grand Am.

The even passed cars while running up the street.....

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic
Thamks BH. I also find this interesting. I'm still reading on it as I watch this thread, but the evidence is compelling.

a reply to: ScientificRailgun


The camera thing is a huge screw up and the photographer should be fired for incompetence. I will not say it was intentional but it is way to important to ignore.

a reply to: Hoosierdaddy71

I agree that it's a huge screw up. That's why I said the Journalist had merit in reporting it. The Journalist makes a lot of mistakes, but there is some truth sprinkled in there.