Thoughts on Ferguson: Part 1: the Shooting

This first bit is arguably the least important detail in the whole affair.

What we know at this point is that two black men of roughly college age, Michael Brown and Dorian Johnson, were walking down the street, that a police officer confronted them over this and it ended with Michael Brown dead from multiple gunshot wounds.

The video you see is Dorian Johnson describing the confrontation.

The police claim that Mr. Johnson went for the gun, and Mr. Johnson claims that the (as still unnamed) police officer went after Mr. Brown, and that Brown was trying to get away, and his death was the result of the police officer being shot while holding his hands up.

So, what really happened?

I don't know, but what I do know is that what happened in the immediate aftermath is very strange.

What surprises me is that Dorian Johnson has not yet been questioned by police.  Heck, it surprises me that he wasn't taken into custody, as he wasn't just a witness, but he was a part of the incident, as he was walking down the street with the victim.

The only reason that I can imagine that the police are studiously avoiding questioning witnesses in this matter is because the police already knew what happened, that the officer was at fault, and they are trying to cover it up.

Note that I am not talking about the law enforcement reaction to the protests, that will be part 2, I am simply describing the profound irregularities in the investigation that I cannot explain except by deliberate wrongdoing.