The autopsy results for unarmed black teen Michael Brown who was shot dead in Ferguson, Mo., reveal that he was shot a total of six times by police officer Darren Wilson.
The results of Brown’s autopsy, conducted independently by Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City chief medical examiner hired by Brown’s family, were released to the public on Monday in a press conference. Baden revealed among other things that Brown was shot six times and that only one gunshot – presumed to be the last – was fatal.
Baden believes that a gunshot wound to the top of Brown’s skull was the one that killed him. According to the location of the entry wound, the medical professional has reason to believe that Brown’s head was bent forward when the bullet was fired. Baden doesn't know whether the position of Brown's head indicates he was surrendering or charging, but the evidence shows it's possible his hands were up as witnesses have claimed.
All of the shots appeared to have hit Brown in the front, four of them hitting the deceased’s right arm and two of them hitting him in the head. In the autopsy, Baden did not recover any gunpowder residue from Brown’s body, which could indicate that the shots were not fired in close range. He also stated that the evidence did not point to Brown having a physical altercation with Wilson.
Benjamin L. Crump, the Brown family’s lawyer, feels that the results of the autopsy show that Wilson had a “brazen disregard” for Brown’s life.
“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,” Crump told The New York Times. “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.”
Baden has stated that his autopsy findings do not conclusively say whether or not Wilson should be blamed for Brown’s death. When asked at a press conference why Wilson had yet to be charged with Brown’s murder, Baden said that was a matter for the District Attorney’s office.
“Right now there is too little information to forensically reconstruct the shooting,” Baden told the Times. “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.’”
By the request of U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, a third autopsy will be performed on Brown.
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