The preliminary private autopsy of slain Ferguson, Missouri teen Michael Brown is in and it shows that the 18-year-old was shot “at least six times.” Here is the drawing:
Brown?was shot twice in the head.
From the New York Times:
One of the bullets entered the top of Mr. Brown’s skull, suggesting his head was bent forward when it struck him and caused a fatal injury, according to Dr. Michael M. Baden, the former chief medical examiner for the City of New York, who flew to Missouri on Sunday at the family’s request to conduct the separate autopsy. It was likely the last of bullets to hit him, he said.
Mr. Brown, 18, was also shot four times in the right arm, he said, adding that all the bullets were fired into his front.
The bullets did not appear to have been shot from very close range because no gunpowder was present on his body. However, that determination could change if it turns out that there is gunshot residue on Mr. Brown’s clothing, to which Dr. Baden did not have access.
The autopsy was performed by famed former chief medical examiner for the City of New York, Dr. Michael Baden. He said:
?People have been asking: How many times was he shot? This information could have been released on Day 1,? Dr. Baden said in an interview after performing the autopsy. ?They don’t do that, even as feelings built up among the citizenry that there was a cover-up. We are hoping to alleviate that.?
Dr. Baden, 80, says that he needs to see the x-rays showing where the bullets were found so that he can clarify the autopsy results. Though Brown was shot at least six times, there were only three bullets found in Brown’s body.
?This one here looks like his head was bent downward,? he said, indicating the wound at the very top of Mr. Brown’s head. ?It can be because he’s giving up, or because he’s charging forward at the officer.?
Dr. Baden did not assign blame in this case. He said,?We need more information; for example, the police should be examining the automobile to see if there is gunshot residue in the police car.?
Baden suggests that the police need to be examining the automobile to see if there is gunshot residue in the police car. Baden is one of only approximately 400 board-certified forensic pathologists in the U.S. He hosted the show “Autopsy” ?and is the author of Unnatural Death: Confessions of a Medical Examiner.
Baden normally earns $10,000 per autopsy, but he waived the fee in this case because of the “tremendous attention” the case is receiving. The examination took four hours to conduct and was performed Sunday at the Austin A. Layne Mortuary in St. Louis. Baden was hired by Benjamin L. Crump, an attorney for Michael Brown’s family.
?The sheer number of bullets and the way they were scattered all over his body showed this police officer had a brazen disregard for the very people he was supposed to protect in that community,? Mr. Crump said. ?We want to make sure people understand what this case is about: This case is about a police officer executing a young unarmed man in broad daylight.?
Even with all of his experience, Dr. Baden seemed surprised.
?In my capacity as the forensic examiner for the New York State Police, I would say, ?You’re not supposed to shoot so many times,? ? said Dr. Baden, who retired from the state police in 2011. ?Right now there is too little information to forensically reconstruct the shooting.?
A spokesman for the Ferguson PD said that the police haven’t seen the report, so they have no comment.
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h/t Liberaland
Tiffany Willis is the founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal America. An unapologetic member of the Christian Left, she has spent most of her career actively working with ?the least of these? and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. She’s passionate about their struggles. To stay on top of topics she discusses,?like her?Facebook page,?follow her on Twitter, or?connect with her via LinkedIn. She also has?a?grossly neglected personal blog?and a?literary quotes blog that is a labor of love. Find her somewhere and join the discussion.
