Federal Government Orders a Third Autopsy of Michael Brown
by Lauren Williams on August 17, 2014, 12:50 p.m. ET @laurenwilliams
The federal government has ordered a third autopsy of Michael Brown, according to a statement from Justice Department spokesperson Brian Fallon:
Due to the extraordinary circumstances involved in this case and at the request of the Brown family, Attorney General Holder has instructed Justice Department officials to arrange for an additional autopsy to be performed by a federal medical examiner. This independent examination will take place as soon as possible. Even after it is complete, Justice Department officials still plan to take the state-performed autopsy into account in the course of their investigation.
The St. Louis County medical examiner performed the first autopsy. The only detail the county released was that Brown died of gunshot wounds, which is probably the one fact about his death that is not a mystery. It is still unclear how many gunshot wounds Brown had, where they are located, and from what range the gun was fired.
The DOJ has already opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting death of Brown, who was unarmed when Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson shot him on August 9. The feds have previously taken issue with the local investigation. An unnamed law enforcement source told NBC News that the DOJ urged Ferguson police not to release a surveillance tape that shows a man, allegedly Brown, stealing cigars and pushing a clerk right before the shooting. Reportedly, the DOJ feared it would increase community anger. Local police released the tape on Friday. And here's what's been happening in the streets of Ferguson since.
Is the Michael Brown shooting being investigated?
The St. Louis County Police Department, which is separate from the Ferguson Police Department, is conducting the criminal investigation into the shooting of Michael Brown. The police will investigate whether Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson was justified in shooting the unarmed man. The Ferguson Police Department will also likely conduct an investigation to see if Wilson's conduct was in line with its use-of-force policy.
St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar, who's leading the investigation, has made favorable comments about the Ferguson Police Department, telling reporters, "I would not think anybody would [ask for an investigation] if they had anything to hide."
Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson is a former St. Louis County Police officer and has ties to the department investigating the shooting. The connection has raised questions about the investigation's objectivity, but Jackson said he asked the St. Louis County Police to keep him "out of the loop."
The investigation will draw on some photographic evidence and eyewitness accounts. Eyewitness Piaget Crenshaw turned over photos she took of the incident, and Dorian Johnson, who was with Brown at the time of the shooting, testified to police on August 13.
Ferguson Police claim Brown robbed a convenience store prior to the shooting, but police clarified that Wilson was not aware of the alleged robbery when he initially stopped Brown for jaywalking. Ferguson Police Chief Jackson later told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Wilson realized Brown could be the suspect of the robbery when he spotted the potentially stolen cigars in Brown's hand.
Officials haven't released much more information about the investigation to the public. St. Louis County Police Chief Belmar on August 13 said police will release the 911 tapes of calls from witnesses to Brown's shooting, but he did not specify when. The St. Louis County prosecutor on August 12 announced he will not release the results of the autopsy on Brown's body. But federal authorities, under the request of Brown's family, ordered a second autopsy that will be done by a federal medical examiner.
As the St. Louis County police conduct their own investigation, the FBI is carrying out a civil rights investigation into the shooting. The FBI said it's looking exclusively at civil rights violations, not duplicating the criminal investigation.
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| Michael Brown was killed by the Ferguson, MO police on Aug. 9, 2014. |
The federal government has ordered a third autopsy of Michael Brown, according to a statement from Justice Department spokesperson Brian Fallon:
Due to the extraordinary circumstances involved in this case and at the request of the Brown family, Attorney General Holder has instructed Justice Department officials to arrange for an additional autopsy to be performed by a federal medical examiner. This independent examination will take place as soon as possible. Even after it is complete, Justice Department officials still plan to take the state-performed autopsy into account in the course of their investigation.
The St. Louis County medical examiner performed the first autopsy. The only detail the county released was that Brown died of gunshot wounds, which is probably the one fact about his death that is not a mystery. It is still unclear how many gunshot wounds Brown had, where they are located, and from what range the gun was fired.
The DOJ has already opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting death of Brown, who was unarmed when Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson shot him on August 9. The feds have previously taken issue with the local investigation. An unnamed law enforcement source told NBC News that the DOJ urged Ferguson police not to release a surveillance tape that shows a man, allegedly Brown, stealing cigars and pushing a clerk right before the shooting. Reportedly, the DOJ feared it would increase community anger. Local police released the tape on Friday. And here's what's been happening in the streets of Ferguson since.
Is the Michael Brown shooting being investigated?
The St. Louis County Police Department, which is separate from the Ferguson Police Department, is conducting the criminal investigation into the shooting of Michael Brown. The police will investigate whether Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson was justified in shooting the unarmed man. The Ferguson Police Department will also likely conduct an investigation to see if Wilson's conduct was in line with its use-of-force policy.
St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar, who's leading the investigation, has made favorable comments about the Ferguson Police Department, telling reporters, "I would not think anybody would [ask for an investigation] if they had anything to hide."
Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson is a former St. Louis County Police officer and has ties to the department investigating the shooting. The connection has raised questions about the investigation's objectivity, but Jackson said he asked the St. Louis County Police to keep him "out of the loop."
The investigation will draw on some photographic evidence and eyewitness accounts. Eyewitness Piaget Crenshaw turned over photos she took of the incident, and Dorian Johnson, who was with Brown at the time of the shooting, testified to police on August 13.
Ferguson Police claim Brown robbed a convenience store prior to the shooting, but police clarified that Wilson was not aware of the alleged robbery when he initially stopped Brown for jaywalking. Ferguson Police Chief Jackson later told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Wilson realized Brown could be the suspect of the robbery when he spotted the potentially stolen cigars in Brown's hand.
Officials haven't released much more information about the investigation to the public. St. Louis County Police Chief Belmar on August 13 said police will release the 911 tapes of calls from witnesses to Brown's shooting, but he did not specify when. The St. Louis County prosecutor on August 12 announced he will not release the results of the autopsy on Brown's body. But federal authorities, under the request of Brown's family, ordered a second autopsy that will be done by a federal medical examiner.
As the St. Louis County police conduct their own investigation, the FBI is carrying out a civil rights investigation into the shooting. The FBI said it's looking exclusively at civil rights violations, not duplicating the criminal investigation.
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