Aundria Medina

7-20-16
CJ-1010: ePortfolio
Ferguson Shooting
On August 9th 2014 a black unarmed teenager by the name of Michael Brown was shot
multiple times and killed in Ferguson, Missouri. This man who shot him was a white police
officer named Darren Wilson. The incident incited riots for weeks that caused mass damage in
the vicinity and what some would call unwarranted police brutality. In Ferguson, Brown was
immediately seen as a victim and Wilson as a murderer. However, while looking at the evidence
it is hard to say whether or not that is true. Many questions come to mind while reviewing the
situation and what took place, was the fatal shooting warranted? Was the brutality and lootings
which occurred during the riots necessary or justified? Did Wilson deserve the verdict he was
given? Did Brown or Wilson follow the necessary steps to avoid the confrontation that took
place and could they have avoided it? These are some of the questions that will be answered in
the following paragraphs.
If we take this step by step following the timeline of that afternoon it paints a pretty vivid
picture which can construed many different ways. Just before midnight Brown and a friend are
seen on video stealing cigarillos from a convenience store in the same area Wilson is working.
Approximately seven minutes later Wilson pulls up to the two men as one of them matched the
description given due to the theft. He then attempts to block the men and reaches out to dispatch.
An argument ensues and Wilson claims Brown tried to reach in to his vehicle, struck him, and
then attempted to disarm his gun. Wilson fires twice at Brown and grazes his thumb and then
Brown takes of running as the other one misses him. Wilson pursues Brown down the street and

then claims Brown turns around and moves back towards him. Wilson alleges Brown then
lurches toward him and that he warned Brown to step back and stop moving forward. He then
fires off 10 more rounds which eventually kills Brown.
Without any evidence presented this seems like a pretty clear cut case. A civilian
committed a crime by stealing, was approached by an officer, instead of complying the alleged
thief resisted and attempted to attack the officer, so the officer shot and killed him out of selfdefense. However, this was not how it was seen by those living in the community and to some
extent this was justified. This became a he-said, she said sort of scenario. Some say they did see
Brown attempt to attack the officer and then lunge towards him, others said he was completely
compliant and did nothing of the sort; others were a mix of both. What could be believed? The
person on the receiving end was dead. This situation turned in to what a lot of people perceived
as a hate crime. A white officer shooting a black unarmed young adult over 10 times in the street
is what it all sizzled down to.
Was the shooting justified? It is hard to say. What is apparent is Brown committed a
crime and was not compliant. Did that give Wilson the right to end his life? It does seem Wilson
should have had other options. If Brown was coming towards him again, as the autopsy supports,
maybe he did need to be met with force- however were 10 shots necessary? The whole situation
could have been avoided had both men acted in a more guided and thought out manner. By
looking at the time in appears neither individual had an end game in mind.
Riots ensued once news broke. Mass destruction, looting, and fire starting in Ferguson
was filling up every new channel. Small businesses were being destroyed, the streets were filled
with angry mobs, and life in this Missouri city was being turned upside down. Darren Wilson
was then found innocent and the violence only persisted. The protestors were being attacked by

the police by beating, arresting, and pepper spraying among many other tactics. It appeared this
office involved shooting had turned in to an excuse for all hell to break loose without any actual
progress being made. On both sides of the spectrum, the situation was handled completely
inappropriately. The citizens were out of control and the force used by the police extremely
excessive. Eventually the police chief stepped down and the county did a complete overhaul to
attempt to correct the situation. Some protests and smaller riots still occurred months aft her the
ruling and on the anniversary but eventually the city started to fall back in to its normal routine.
In the end it does not appear that Darren Wilsons force was justified completely but who
is to judge that when they were not there that night? The ensuing demonstrations did completely
get out of hand but maybe those riots were rationalized by the citizens as one of their own had
been killed. Unless you were there that night in Browns or Wilsons shoes I dont think anyone
will ever really know what went down and whether or not it was handled in the correct manner
by either of those involved.