Ferguson police radio calls surface from Michael Brown shooting
FERGUSON, Mo. -- The Aug. 9 confrontation between a white police officer and an unarmed black teenager that ended with Officer Darren Wilson fatally shooting 18-year-old Michael Brown lasted less than 90 seconds, according to emergency radio calls.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch published a timeline Friday night, based on an analysis of police and EMS calls. It begins at 11:29 a.m. with Wilson responding to another case.
At 11:53 a.m., a dispatcher reported a "stealing in progress" at the Ferguson Market and a brief description of the suspect, who was believed to have taken a packet of cigars. Officers were told to look for a black male wearing a white T-shirt, running toward the QuikTrip convenience store. Additional information was soon added: the man was wearing a red Cardinals hat, khaki shorts and yellow socks; a second man was with him.
At noon, Wilson asked the officers searching for the robbery suspects if they needed assistance. An officer responded that the men had disappeared.
Two minutes later, at 12:02 p.m. Wilson radioed in, "Put me on Canfield with two. And send me another car," a request for additional officers.
Sources have told the newspaper that prior to making that call, Wilson claimed he told Brown and his friend Dorian Johnson to stop walking in the street. Wilson said it was after that that he recognized that Brown matched the robbery suspect's description, called for backup and stopped his SUV next to the two men.
What happened next remains unclear.
Wilson claimed the teenager attacked him. Some witnesses have said Wilson and Brown struggled, either outside or inside the officer's vehicle. Others say they saw Brown with his hands over his head, getting on the ground.
At 12:03 p.m., a witness sent a tweet that read, "I JUST SAW SOMEONE DIE."
Within moments, other officers arrived on scene, and an ambulance was called. One officer erroneously said someone had been hit by a Taser,
The last radio call the Post-Dispatch mentions was made at 12:07 p.m. An unidentified officer says, "Get us several more units over here. There's gonna be a problem." A woman is crying in the background.
Brown's death touched off weeks of protests in the predominately black St. Louis suburb against Ferguson's government and police force, which are almost entirely white. Some of the demonstrations turned violent, prompting a highly militarized show of force by local, county and state law enforcement.
A grand jury is expected to decide this month whether Wilson should face criminal charges. Ferguson and other communities in the St. Louis area are bracing for more protests if Wilson is not indicted, with both Missouri Gov. Jay NixonMissouri Gov. Jay Nixon and Brown's family urging people to stay calm.