Killing of Michael Brown

"Michael Brown Jr." redirects here. For other people with the name, see Michael Brown (disambiguation).

Killing of Michael Brown
Location of Ferguson, Missouri, within St. Louis County, and St. Louis County within eastern Missouri
DateAugust 9, 2014; 10 years ago (2014-08-09)
Time12:01–12:03 p.m. (CDT)
LocationFerguson, Missouri, U.S.
Coordinates38°44′18.1″N 90°16′25.3″W / 38.738361°N 90.273694°W / 38.738361; -90.273694[1]
TypeHomicide, police shooting
Participants
  • Darren Wilson (shooter)
  • Michael Brown (deceased)
  • Dorian Johnson (accompanied Brown)
DeathsMichael Brown
Non-fatal injuriesDarren Wilson
ChargesNone
LitigationWrongful death lawsuit settled for undisclosed amount

On August 9, 2014, 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.[2]

Brown was accompanied by his 22-year-old male friend Dorian Johnson.[3] Wilson, a white male Ferguson police officer, said that an altercation ensued when Brown attacked him in his police vehicle for control of Wilson's service pistol. The struggle continued until the pistol fired.[4] Johnson said that Wilson initiated a confrontation by grabbing Brown by the neck through Wilson's patrol car window, threatening him and then shooting at him.[5] At this point, both Wilson and Johnson state that Brown and Johnson fled, with Wilson pursuing Brown shortly thereafter. Wilson stated that Brown stopped and charged him after a short pursuit. Johnson contradicted this account, stating that Brown turned around with his hands raised after Wilson shot at his back. According to Johnson, Wilson then shot Brown multiple times until Brown fell to the ground. In the entire altercation, Wilson fired a total of twelve bullets, including twice during the struggle in the car.[6] Brown was struck six times, all in the front of his body.[7][8][9]

This event ignited unrest in Ferguson. Witnesses to the shooting claimed Brown had his hands up in surrender or said "don't shoot", so protesters later used the slogan "Hands up, don't shoot".[10] A subsequent FBI investigation said that there was no evidence that Brown had done so.[11] Peaceful protests and violent riots continued for more than a week in Ferguson; police later established a nightly curfew. The response of area police agencies in dealing with the protests was strongly criticized by both the media and politicians. Concerns were raised over insensitivity, tactics, and a militarized response.

A grand jury was called and given evidence from Robert McCulloch, the St. Louis County Prosecutor. On November 24, 2014, McCulloch announced the St. Louis County grand jury had decided not to indict Wilson.[12] In March 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice reported the conclusion of its own investigation and cleared Wilson of civil rights violations in the shooting. It claimed that Wilson's account was "corroborated by bruising on Wilson's jaw and scratches on his neck, the presence of Brown's DNA on Wilson's collar, shirt and pants, and Wilson's DNA on Brown's palm", and claimed that witnesses who corroborated the officer's account were credible.[13][14] The U.S. Department of Justice concluded that Wilson shot Brown in self-defense.[15][16]

In 2020, St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell spent five months reviewing the case with an eye to charge Wilson with either manslaughter or murder. In July, Bell announced Wilson would not be charged.[17]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYTimes.Documents was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ USDOJ 2015, p. 6.
  3. ^ "Michael Brown Robbed Convenience Store, Stole Cigarillos Before Darren Wilson Shooting, Dorian Johnson Says". International Business Times. November 25, 2014. Archived from the original on December 2, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  4. ^ USDOJ 2015, pp. 80–81, §1. Shooting at the SUV.
  5. ^ McLaughlin, Eliott (December 15, 2014). "Despite discrepancies, Dorian Johnson consistent in accounts of Brown shooting". CNN. Archived from the original on February 27, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference CNN.Told was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference ABC.Survived was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYPost.Shot was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYTimes.Autopsy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Whether History Or Hype, 'Hands Up, Don't Shoot' Endures". NPR.org. Archived from the original on August 20, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  11. ^ German Lopez (August 12, 2019). "Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris's controversial Michael Brown tweets, explained". Archived from the original on October 5, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019. the Justice Department's 2015 report contradicted many of the protesters' claims, finding that Wilson likely did have reason to fear for his life and didn't violate the law in shooting Brown
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Fox.Gunshots was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference DOJ.ShootingReport was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Yahoo.Feds was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference LATimes.Federal was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ USDOJ 2015, pp. 80–82.
  17. ^ Eligon, John (July 30, 2020). "No Charges for Ferguson Officer Who Killed Michael Brown, New Prosecutor Says". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2020.