Cop Kills Teen In South St. Louis

This has been a busy day for me, and I decided to come online and check email and Twitter before going to bed.  On Twitter, I read that people were protesting in St. Louis. At first, I thought it was one of the organized protests seeking the arrest of Darren Wilson, the Ferguson cop who killed Michael Brown.

fatal-shooting

Scene of Wednesday’s fatal shooting

Turns out that Wednesday evening, the citizens of St. Louis County were subjected to another situation of a cop gone wild. Eyewitness reports and those of the cop are in conflict.  Even the cops have given two different stories.  This is developing, so I’m sure we will hear and read more in the coming days.

According to the police, a 32-year old, off-duty St. Louis Police officer, working for a security company and wearing his cop issued uniform, was in the 4100 block of Shaw when he attempted a “pedestrian check.” The account given by the police is that the man fled on foot, turned and fired a gun at the officer. The officer returned fire, killing the man. The officer has been on the police force for 6 years.

Assistant Chief Alfred Adkins gave another story, however. He told the Post-Dispatch that the officer encountered four pedestrians in the 4100 block of Shaw Boulevard and stopped to talk with them at about 7:30 p.m. The four fled and the officer chased one. According to Adkins, the man being chased by the officer jumped from some bushes and struggled with him. The man then pulled a gun and fired at the officer.

Police did not identify the man who was killed, but the Post-Dispatch reports that family members said it is 18-year-old Vonderrick Myers. Eyewitnesses say that Myers was shot as many as 16 times.

Teyonna Myers, 23, who says that Vonderrick was her cousin, told the Post-Dispatch, “He was unarmed. He had a sandwich in his hand, and they thought it was a gun.”

The officer has been placed on paid vacation; i.e., “administrative leave.”

Buzzfeed has video clips from tonight’s gathering of people after the shooting.

Demonstrators Shut Down Street Where Vonderrick Was Killed

 

Posted on 10/09/2014, in Cases, Cops Gone Wild, Vonderrick Myers and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 159 Comments.

  1. What ! ! Another one ? What’s going on ? It’s come to a point that when I see a cop, I see a killer. I heard my Mom telling dad to raise his hands immediately and not to speak. And to think Dad is with the Dept. of Justice. And Mom frantically called my brother who lives in LA…. raise your hands and freeze, don’t move.

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    • Yes. Sadly, another one. I was just reading where a woman protester said that her son was killed last year by a St. Louis cop. That is what is making things a power keg. This has been going on for so long, and so many stayed silent because no one listened.

      At this point, I don’t know if raising your hands stops cops from firing their gun. Did you see the video of the man who the cop asked for his license, and when he reached for it in his car, the cop fired? The man immediately held up his hands, but the cop shot again, and again, and again. The man ended up wounded in his leg, but I’ve watched that video several times and the first shot was intended for his head.

      Your mom’s advice was good, but I would add, “turn your video on.”

      Like

  2. Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness is now stop, frisk, and pursuit of people. Killing has become the cops’ form of FMLA. Kill a citizen to be placed on unlimited paid vacation.

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    • Off duty?
      Well, I’ll be damn! They’re nuts! 16 times ?????
      They had better arrest him Wilson. This is insane, and a paid vacation??
      Are they kidding us? WTH???

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  3. Oh, and I guess having anything in your hand, they’re going to kill?

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  4. Off duty, wearing an issued uniform, moon lighting as a security guard, carrying his weapon. The ‘Unnamed Shooter,’ who murdered Vonderrick Myers is on “paid vacation” while the synchronization of details are pending. And that is as nice as I can be about this one…..

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  5. I think if that ever happened to me. I’d just slowly lay on the ground face down. Holding up hands and facing them for turning around doesn’t seem to help. Hands free of anything. LORD! This is awful. What in the world has gotten into these police as of late. I don’t get it.

    Namaste’

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    • Hi Shyloh,
      Look at how the family in Hammond reacted, terrified to the point of phoning 911 and fearful to step out their vehicle.
      Levar Jones shot for following directions.
      Mother in Forney, TX stopped and forced to walk backwards with guns drawn on her.
      Ford in Beavercreek, no warning; period.

      We all know the list goes on. I am literally frightened for all of us, it’s a damn if you do; damn if you don’t.

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    • Oh Shyloh, if you move too slowly, there’s a high chance that you’ll get tazed or shot. The cops will then say that you were resisting arrest. Of course, if you have a medical condition that prevents you from moving like an Olympic gymnast and try to tell the officer that, they won’t hear you over their shouts of demands. If they do hear you, they will assume you’re lying, slam you to the ground, push your face into it, put their knee on your neck, while 5 to 6 other officers jump on your back, hold your arms out, while another cop tells you to put your hands behind your back and to stop resisting.

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  6. I guess since he was off duty, yet wearing his uniform, he wasn’t wearing a body camera… I wonder what the official version will be once the police get their stories straight..”jumped from the bushes”, I highly doubt that..

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    • yahtzeebutterfly

      Mindy,

      “I guess since he was off duty, yet wearing his uniform, he wasn’t wearing a body camera”

      I decided to look up police regulations about officers wearing police uniforms when serving as security guards during off hours and found this regulation set by the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners:

      (1) A company shoulder patch shall be mandatory on all shirts, coats, and jackets of private security personnel unless said personnel are within one (1) of the following classifications:

      (A) Paid, full-time Missouri Peace Officers Standards and Training- (POST-) certified police officers, having a minimum of six hundred (600) hours of POST-certified training (All such individuals must provide the private security section with written doc- umentation from the head law enforcementofficer of their department indicating approval of their wearing of their depart- ment’s official police uniform while working licensed security in the City of St. Louis);

      (B) St. Louis Airport Police;
      (C) St. Louis City Deputy Sheriffs; or
      (D) St. Louis City Marshals.

      (E) Police officers who do not satisfy the certification requirements in subsection (1)(A) shall be required to wear the company uniform for which they are employed, and are not eligible to wear their department’s official police uniform.

      Click to access 17c20-2.pdf

      Why was this officer checking out 4 pedestrians on St. Louis public streets IF he was supposedly working for a security company??

      In my opinion, at the point he was away from his security job and was on a St. Louis public street, he had taken on the role of a St. Louis police officer.

      Like

      • yahtzeebutterfly

        I also meant to put an excerpt from section 1A in bold print:

        (A) Paid, full-time Missouri Peace Officers Standards and Training- (POST-) certified police officers, having a minimum of six hundred (600) hours of POST-certified training (All such individuals must provide the private security section with written documentation from the head law enforcement officer of their department indicating approval of their wearing of their depart- ment’s official police uniform while working licensed security in the City of St. Louis);

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      • I was wondering that as well, why would he even approach these kids, was that part of his job description with the security company?

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        • yahtzeebutterfly

          Yes! That is my question as well, Mindy.

          And what the heck is a “pedestrian check” ??

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          • pedestrian check = opportunity to harass some black folks not breaking any law.

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          • yahtzeebutterfly

            Yep!

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          • Yahtzeebutterfly,

            And what the heck is a “pedestrian check” ??

            Stop and frisk, question, and arrest for resisting arrest for asking why you’ve been stopped. If the person is out on bond pending trial, “pedestrian check” = harass and file more charges because prosecutors don’t think they can make the pending one stick.

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          • yahtzeebutterfly

            Yes, that is exactly it, Xena!

            Like

  7. Jueseppi B.

    Reblogged this on MrMilitantNegro™.

    Like

    • Good afternoon Jueseppi! How’s the Blood Moon treating you, dear friend? I’m thinking about going out and howling tonight. LOL!

      Like

  8. Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
    No, not another one!! I’m betting believing and beyond words. What is it??

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    • Good afternoon Horty! Thanks for the reblog, dear friend. What is it? A society created by misinterpreting and abusing the Second Amendment. There was a time when a citizen had a gun and was killed by the police, that others immediately defaulted into believing that the citizen was a “crook.” Now, with citizens being able to legally conceal carry, law enforcement has become paranoid and shoot to kill without asking questions — unless you’re George Zimmerman. Then they ask to see his conceal carry license and he offers to give them his autograph.

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  9. yahtzeebutterfly

    Antonio French @AntonioFrench · 16m
    Our bill to create an Office of Civilian Oversight will be introduced soon.
    And true oversight by the Public Safety Cmte will also help.

    Antonio French @AntonioFrench · 11m
    But the fact is, police policing police is not something that our constituents trust. Independent oversight is needed to restore trust.

    Antonio French @AntonioFrench · 9m
    And the DOJ @CivilRights needs to understand that this is not just about the City of Ferguson. That’s not how St. Louis works.

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  10. yahtzeebutterfly

    *tears* ……heartbreaking. So many Black mothers crying and so many Black mother’s worried for their children’s safety.

    The women gather crying tears that fill a million oceans
    It doesn’t matter where you’re living,
    The women gather crying tears that fill a million oceans
    It doesn’t matter where you’re living
    The women gather
    ~lyrics by Sweet Honey In The Rock

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  11. Jackie Saulmon Ramirez

    I fear cops now; I’m worry for my husband every day. All Americans of all races need to demand this be stopped. I feel so helpless and I hate that feeling.

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  12. I will wait on this one…..still to many unanswered questions. We knew more about Michael Brown in the hours after his death due to his friend and the witnesses. This one the others took off and didn’t come back nor make statements.

    I saw the CNN story on this one and they said the cops recovered evidence including shell casings and ballistic (bullets), so it appears at this time gunfire was exchanged. I question the cousin’s, Teyonna Myers, statement about him holding a sandwich since the cousin was not there–at least that isn’t said–so how would they know what he had at that moment. Also as a parent I know I would like to believe that my child would never have something they shouldn’t have but when they leave our homes we really don’t know what they do.

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    • I guess what I’m trying to also say……is…….what IF this young man was armed and did fire at the cop? What would your feelings be then?

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      • towerflower,

        what IF this young man was armed and did fire at the cop? What would your feelings be then?

        Today, under a Blood Moon, I would say that the man was a bad shot. So was the cop. It doesn’t take 16 shots to take an elephant down. Later or by tomorrow, I would say that investigators had better find the bullet casings from the man’s gun. Even later, if there is evidence that the deceased had AND FIRED a gun, my thoughts would turn to the citizens of South St. Louis. They are those who set the tone and attitude for the results of investigation.

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    • butterflydreamer2

      towerflower,

      I’m with you on this one.

      Like

  13. Working in a private security company in your free time when simultaneously being a police officer? I didn’t think that was allowed. Amazing.

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    • Jenny: Cops do not make a lot of money. I have a family member who is in law enforcement—-believe me we get into a lot of arguments discussing events, but, they also work a second job. I have always said there are 3 careers that make no where what they should and they are cops, firefighters, and teachers. 2 will risk their own lives to say yours and the other molds the minds of tomorrow’s generation.

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    • butterflydreamer2

      It’s quite common here in Calif to see off duty officers moonlighting as security. They are also hired for security for special events. Towerflower makes a good point, police do not make big money by any means, and sometimes they may need to take on another job as many people to make end meet, or perhaps to help their children through college or aging parents. I can recall several times in my working career I worked 2 jobs and once I worked 3. I worked as a Credit Investigator from 5am to 1:30pm, a waitress from 2pm until 5pm, and then as a security guard until 1am, and back to work at 5am.

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      • Shit I had no idea conditions were so bad for police officers in US… Crazy.

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        • Jenny, it’s been that way for decades, and cops had their side of the story only. Now, with video, national cable news and the internet, we can hear/read/see about it day and night, 2/47, New stories seem to be daily, and the people are finally being heard.

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          • I’m not questioing it, it’s just that US keeps surprising me (I’m Swedish).

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          • Jenny,
            The U.S. has always been a nation that treats people unequally for various reasons, beginning with Native Americans. Those that hate and are power driven, have always used the color and claim of official right, from local police forces to the courts, to oppress others. Even now, for someone to claim that their civil rights are/were violated, they have to go before judges who set requirements for proof, not based on law, but on their own personal concepts.

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  14. I’m thinking they won’t find any gun, nor any stray bullet mark. “jumped out of the bushes..” you say. Attacked you ya say…….Witnesses have a different version and I’ll bet other than some very slight differences they are the same. Cop says 1 and the chief says 4……wow…..a posse !!

    It’s unfathomable to believe that in the same area cops are so insensitive (read racist) that they can’t keep their guns holstered.

    Prayers for the family and friends……as for the cops and government, I say revolution …..

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  15. The young man has been identified by his attorney as Vonderrit Deondre Myers. The Myers family contacted the young man’s attorney after the shooting. Now why did he have an attorney?

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    • butterflydreamer2

      towerflower,

      I have also read he was on an ankle monitor, out on bail for another shooting incident.

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        • …….1422-CR02533-01 – ST V VONDERRIT DEONDRAY MYERS you’ll need the case number for the link. If you leave off the -01, you’ll find the original charges and the ankle monitor requirement.

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          • Towerflower, thanks for the link and case number. I looked it up and the charges. Resisting or interfering in an arrest, and unlawful use of weapons, which includes carrying and also includes a knife, blackjack, or any thing that can be used lethally. His case had not gone to trial. He was out on bond with an ankle monitor.

            It’s hard forming an opinion when not knowing what the charge actually alleges and what his defense is. At this point, it’s hard for me to trust anything that cops say, especially if they work in St. Louis or that area. For example, remember the man where the cops made a mistaken identity, then beat the man and charged him with destruction of government property for bleeding on their uniforms?

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          • I have a link to a story above…….it was from a high speed chase in which Myers was a passenger. When they crashed, Myers took off running and was observed throwing a .38 into a sewer and it was recovered. He didn’t point it at anyone, he had it on him and ditched it. His resisting arrest was from running away when he was told to stop.

            Even if he didn’t run away or ditch the gun, he still would’ve faced a charge for having a pistol on him when his age prohibits him from having a CCL for concealed carry.

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    • Towerflower,

      Now why did he have an attorney?

      Because he had a pending trial.

      Like

  16. yahtzeebutterfly

    Here is the “saint” that the city of St. Louis was named after:

    Louis IX:

    “He was well known for strictly enforcing laws against blasphemy.

    Louis led two crusades, the Sixth and the Seventh Crusades. He was captured and imprisoned during the Sixth (1244-1249). At the onset of the Seventh Crusade in 1270, Louis died of dysentry.

    If they ever straighten things out in St. Louis, perhaps they should consider renaming the city.

    Like

  17. yahtzeebutterfly

    Antonio French retweeted
    Rachel Lippmann @rlippmann
    An assistant US atty (fed prosecutor) will be a part of the team evaluating the evidence in the shooting of VonDerrit Myers.

    Like

  18. yahtzeebutterfly

    Shaun King @ShaunKing · 2h 2 hours ago
    Something’s off. Timestamp on this photo is 7:03pm. They left at 7:05. VonDerrit (in black) killed @ 7:28. No hoody.

    @store photo:
    Shaun King @ShaunKing · 3h 3 hours ago
    Manager of Shaw Market voluntarily released this & said Myers, in black shirt, BOUGHT a sandwich & didn’t have a gun

    Like

  19. yahtzeebutterfly

    Amplify Ferguson @amplifyferguson · 2h
    Press play and watch protester @bdoulaoblongata lay out the terms of the #Ferguson protesters http://ow.ly/CtVAw #MikeBrown #Amplify

    Like

  20. yahtzeebutterfly

    livestreaming:

    Man (not sure who) is saying parents on the way to talk to people on the street:
    http://new.livestream.com/accounts/9035483/events/3271930

    Like

  21. Annie Cabani

    I haven’t had time yet to read up on this yet, or read everyone’s comments here. But when I heard “south” St. Louis, I just HAD to find out at least where it happened. Turns out this occurred just four blocks where I lived during my senior year of college (… only a few decades ago)!

    In fact, that “Shaw” (a/k/a Tower Grove) neighborhood was temporary home to many Saint Louis University health care students – medical students and residents, nursing and allied health students – because it’s within walking distance of, or a quick bus ride to, the university’s medical center. I’d be surprised if it’s not, still, because of those reasons and its affordability. (Not to mention its proximity to an old city icon, “Ted Drew’s Frozen Custard” – a popular outdoor public gathering place on any spring or summer evening.)

    On the occasional visits I’ve made back to St. Louis in years since, I’ve noticed that the neighborhood has been well maintained and even improved since I lived there. It’s not a “scary” area, at all – it’s a pleasant, urban neighborhood.

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  22. Annie Cabani

    Sorry, Towerflower, but I’m not buying the police story yet. Why? For starters, because:

    1. The police have given conflicting accounts, none of which pass the “smells right” test (e.g., they don’t make sense and sound too self-serving).

    2. Police have been lying, routinely lie, and have lost credibility in my mind unless and until they are double-checked by an objective third party. Police do not excel at policing police. And I see no evidence of “good cops” exposing any “bad cops;” therefore, I currently doubt that any “good cops” exist – cops all look just like a GANG of co-conspirators to me.

    3. “What the heck is a ‘PEDESTRIAN CHECK'”? Very important question raised by yahtzee, IMO! Absent any reasonable suspicion or probable cause (and I’ve heard nothing about any so far), the cop / off-duty cop initiated the entire incident by violating the kid’s constitutional rights – an illegal act / “stop” – and is fully responsible for all sequelae. The kid would be alive today if the cop had not stopped him without reasonable suspicion or for probable cause.

    And I don’t CARE if police do this all the time. They violate the constitution EVERY time they do so, and they will not honor the constitution until they are held accountable EVERY TIME they fail to do so.

    4. The fact that the kid has a pending charge is no surprise – and of NO relevance – to me at all. From recent revelations of police misconduct and/or abuse of power, I totally understand why so many black citizens have “records.” And then the cops bootstrap one bullshit charge onto previous bullshit charges, and thereby create the myth that all blacks are “thugs.” It’s a cop-created, self-fulfilling prophesy.

    Hell, even your description of the kid’s pending “charge” sounds like the typical overreaching and overcharging that cops do to blacks but not to whites. In other words, it sounds BOGUS, itself!

    5. I haven’t heard anything yet that convinces me that … assuming someone did shoot at the off-duty cop … the Myers kid did the shooting. Forensics should resolve this one eventually, but I can’t conclude that at this stage, especially since he was with other kids immediately preceding the shooting.

    6. Seventeen shots??!! Were ANY shots really “necessary” at all? If the off-duty cop wasn’t hit, why not just take cover and call 911? Is it worth KILLING a kid (especially one you might have stopped illegally) just to ID him?? That is, just so he won’t get away, only to be found the next day by on-duty cops?
    ______________________

    I’m sure you love your cop family member, and rightly so. I’m sure Darren Wilson’s family loves him, too, and rightly so. Same with the Staten Island strangler-cop. We all love our families, as we should.

    But cops are treating life WAY too cheaply, it seems to me. I used to respect them highly, but not anymore. Not until I see some evidence of accountability – just like the rest of us have on our jobs. I hope that your family member can work on his/her force and with his/her union to make that happen.

    Like

    • Annie,
      I saw a photo of a sign today that read:
      “Missouri. Enter for vacation. Leave on probation.”

      Like

      • Annie Cabani

        No doubt! I’m so astonished that Gov. Nixon doesn’t seem to grasp the PR damage occurring to his state on his watch. He’s so completely clueless that he still publicly chums politically with some deeply troublesome actors in the St. Louis area!

        But I do understand it, in a way, from living in NC for so many years. From my perspective now, Missouri seems very similar to a southern state – where Democrats aren’t quite like Democrats in other states, and the Republicans are SO extreme that they’re stuck in an Antebellum-era mentality, full of utter contempt for any change from those “glorious” days.

        But, anyway, if Gov. Nixon had presidential ambitions – as I’ve read about – I believe he has squashed those all by himself … because he sure looks like a racist/murderer apologizer right about now!

        It’s all a bit sad to me, though, because I’d always held a warm place in my heart for St. Louis. It was a great place to be a college student when I was there, because there were so many inexpensive and publicly accessible fun things to do. But I was a clueless college kid and new graduate in those days. I didn’t become politically “aware” of what was going on around me until a few years later.

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    • butterflydreamer2

      Annie Cabbani,

      Very good points. I also wondered why when the first story came out why he was reported as a suspect. Suspect to what? And your right, what is a pedestrian stop? I can pretty well guess it’s not a stop in which a cop asks 4 black teens how their day is going and some friendly chit chat.

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    • Annie…..

      Don’t get me wrong, I do agree with most of what you are saying. I do believe that there is a problem with the St. Louis/Ferguson PDs. I do believe that there is a problem with cops in many areas.

      The Ferguson PD did nothing to calm the community with their withholding of information and releasing that tape the day they released the name of the cop. They didn’t help the community or situation when they brought in militarized equipment to monitor the protests.

      I also agree that there is an unwritten code amongst cops in which they don’t turn on one another even if the other one is wrong……they protect their own. This started over trust in the other…..if you can’t trust your partner, fully, than you are on your own. I’m not saying this the right thing to do. A cop should be able to report on the bad behavior of another without fear that he will be left to his own when he needs the help.

      I agree that a “pedestrian check” is BS. It is a way to harass a part of the population just because they deem them guilty by looks.

      As to changing stories……no it isn’t good but I also look at this is how much is reported today….jump at the first leak and report it without knowing the whole story. I saw this a lot in the aviation field with aircraft accidents. Even with 9/11 look how much the news first report that a SMALL private plane first crashed into the WTC, it wasn’t until later that it was correctly reported that it was an airliner. I first read a rumor about Myers pending charge and I didn’t say anything until I could confirm it. You are right that his past doesn’t have anything to do with what happened that night but I did say it because it did involve a gun. He had possession of a gun in the past so would it be a far stretch for him to have another one? It wasn’t legal for him to have the first one but he never got his chance in court to fight the charge. I don’t know if the cops would have turned a blind eye to an underage (needed to be 21) white teen who was also in possession of a handgun.

      I also agree that too many minorities are not afforded the same judicial opportunities as non-minorities. There are unbalanced scales of justice, no doubt, and I don’t have any answers on how to fix this.

      It wasn’t too long in the past that the guns that PDs used were limited to about 7 rounds max. Changing guns and magazines have changed all that. Now they hold up to 17 rounds. Cops are trained to eliminate the threat…..a threat to others and themselves. A person shot in the leg or arm can still shoot back. They also want to come home to their families. A person in a life/death situation will react…..a cop will keep the finger on the trigger until the threat is no longer there. A person can fire off 17 rounds in a matter of a couple of seconds…..not a long time.

      I try to look at things from both sides of the fence. Not all cops are bad. If everything from the evidence comes back that Myers did in fact shoot at the officer first then what will be your feelings about this case. I said early on that I don’t see this as another Mike Brown case but there are too many questions still to have answered. If the cop planted the gun on Myers then I will be there right with everyone else but if it is proven that Myers fired first than I will side with the actions of the cop. What are the answers? Do we limit the amount of ammo that a magazine holds so that a cop can only fire so many times? Do we allow cops to become targets by those who wish them harm?

      Like

      • Annie Cabani

        I try to look at things from both sides of the fence.

        And I thank you for that, Towerflower! Obviously your comments impacted me … as they always do. And in this case, you’ve been an important and respected voice trying to protect us from jumping to too many conclusions.

        Like

  23. yahtzeebutterfly

    Protestors are peacefully on the sidewalk but are being ordered to disperse or get arrested:

    http://new.livestream.com/accounts/9035483/events/3424523

    Like

  24. yahtzeebutterfly

    These tweets just now from Deray Mckesson have moved me deeply:

    deray mckesson @deray · 35m
    Thinking about last night, I’m about to cry. I just can’t take my blackness on trial like this. This JUST IS NOT FAIR.

    Last night, I knew something felt off when the police wouldn’t engage protestors early. I just never thought we would be ambushed and maced.

    Today, I’m crying for Mike Brown. And Kijieme. And VonDerrit. And I’m crying because I’m fighting for my blackness to be allowed to live.

    Every night I’m out could be my last – not because I’m a threat or hostile, but because my very being is provocation for police to act.

    These tears are for everybody I’ve seen out there day in and day out who continue to fight even when the fight is too much.

    What will YOU DO to protect my right to LIVE? What role WILL YOU PLAY? Blackness needs you to help.

    Know this: I am afraid of dying. I don’t want to die. But I also don’t want to live in a world where death follows me because of my skin.

    Like

    • I cannot say enough, thank you for posting these great words. This one is a tear jerker.

      Like

    • Annie Cabani

      I can’t even imagine…. Yes, “the fight is too much” for anyone to have to bear – and it should not even be necessary at all! It’s only the wrongful and sheer stubbornness of people sworn to uphold the constitution that imposes such a heavy burden, despite constitutional rights designed to remove that burden!

      Like

  25. yahtzeebutterfly

    ShordeeDooWhop . @Nettaaaaaaaa ·
    The Amnesty International folks who were out there last night… The fact that they’re BACK in STL is a shame in itself.

    Reporters and MSM folks? If you’re not physically here.. I probably won’t have much to say. Come & see. Stop spectating online.

    And the MSM networks that want protesters to live stream? Absolutely not. 1. They’re professionals here doing that. Ask them. (Cont.)

    2. Not advising anybody to put their body on the frontline just to stream for you and your network. Anything can happen to them. Not smart.

    ShordeeDooWhop @Nettaaaaaaaa · 28m 28 minutes ago
    Meanwhile, the Klan is doing “neighborhood watch” in Fenton, MO.

    http://m.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/kkk-throws-out-fliers-in-fenton-subdivisions-and-high-ridge/article_321c81fa-07db-5370-aa01-d2940a971c9a.html?mobile_touch=true

    Like

  26. yahtzeebutterfly

    Shaun King @ShaunKing · 2h

    UNBELIEVABLE: Police are now saying VonDerrit Myers “fell” and began shooting after he fell down. Wildly different story. Changes hourly.

    Like

    • Yahtzee,
      And it just so happens that the gun was stolen, and stolen again and not reported?!?! Sure, that’s an old Chicago cop defense — they carry around guns not reported stolen so they can put them on the scene. I hope they test the gun for Vonderrick’s DNA and fingerprints, and Vonderrick’s hands for gunshot residue.

      Like

      • Xena, I said above that I hope that the investigation looks into the owner’s son and the owner, the owner reported it stolen and told the cops that he believed his son stole it and the son said he was also robbed and didn’t report it. I would like to know if there is any connection to Myers or the cop.

        Like

    • yahtzee…..do you have a story link to this…..I can’t find a news conference that has this yet.

      Like

      • yahtzeebutterfly

        In the following article linked in Shaun King’s tweet here, he says a spokesperson for the police provided this new information. (last paragraph of article)

        Shaun King @ShaunKing · 43m

        See the VIDEO of VonDerrit Myers buying a turkey sandwich & follow how many story changes the police have made here

        Here is where I break down the inconsistencies with the killing of VonDerrit ->

        http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/10/1335651/-Why-does-the-St-Louis-PD-keep-changing-their-story-about-the-murder-of-VonDerrit-Myers … & FERGUSON -> http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/03/1333925/-Is-it-a-coverup-House-of-Cards-level-corruption-in-Ferguson-and-beyond

        Like

        • yahtzeebutterfly

          Of this “police spokesman” Shaun King says

          Shaun King @ShaunKing · 53m
          Are you aware that the spokesperson for the officer who killed VonDerrit is openly behind the Darren Wilson @gofundme

          Here, in great detail, I show how we should ALWAYS be suspicious of ANYTHING @RoordaJ touches regarding police /em>

          Like

        • yahtzeebutterfly

          Shaun King @ShaunKing · 1h 1 hour ago
          Now, today, in an interview w/ @ChrisCuomo police say NOTHING of the bushes & say VonDerrit fell down & was shot while on the ground.

          Like

          • peni4yothot

            “I’m not racist, some of my best victims are Black!”

            Well, of course, they are not saying that.

            But, what are their actions implying?

            Oh sh^t, I reread what you wrote, “my best victims”
            Actions speak volumes.

            Chris Hayes couldn’t understand why Tef Poe don’t trust what STL LE said regarding the shooting of VonDerit Meyers.
            Uh, some LE are downright dirty.

            Like

          • yahtzeebutterfly

            “Chris Hayes couldn’t understand why Tef Poe don’t trust what STL LE said regarding the shooting of VonDerit Meyers.
            Uh, some LE are downright dirty.”

            Yes! Some definitely are!

            Like

      • Thank you yahtzee for the links to Shaun’s blog. I did appreciate that he has the entire store tape there. What I noticed is that Myers started to eat the sandwich while still in the store and it appears that he even shared a bite with a friend. So while he bought a sandwich, he may have also finished it before encountering the cop.

        I am wondering about the sweatshirt part. Where was it or how did he get it?

        Like

  27. I still say there will be no gunshot residue and no DNA. It’s a 9mm so he’d have left prints on the magazine as well.

    Now I see the store video and he’s wearing a short sleeve BLACK T shirt and the Chief clearly goes on about the cop and Myers tussling and the Myers was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt.

    WTF are we missing here. Now the gun is reported to be stolen multiple times. I smell a planted gun all the way in NJ.

    Like

    • pure speculation but it seems they need the hoody/sweatshirt to be attached to the victim most likely because it is the only thing that can be traced to the gun, the hoody and gun both being drop items……

      Like

  28. yahtzeebutterfly

    You can catch up with what’s been happening today by going to this twitter link:

    (If you click the “X” in the top left of video clips on twitter pages, you can get the audio for that clip.)

    Like

  29. yahtzeebutterfly

    Wow…take a look at this:

    “Florida Captures Activist On His Way To #Ferguson, Missouri”

    Excerpt (but I suggest reading the whole article):

    Recently, Grapski has been filing public records requests in Ferguson, as documented in that Salon article. Many other news outlets have also expressed dismay, because the Ferguson authorities are trying to limit access to records by imposing multi-thousand-dollar fees for their work to retrieve public records. On October 7, a news headline informed us that Saint Louis Public Radio is filing suit against the Ferguson authorities, because of these fees which are arbitary, mercurial, and which serve to limit access to information that is more rightly public.

    With all of the above being background, suddenly the authorities of Florida would like to enter the picture again. Perhaps they feel neglected because Grapski’s attention has moved onwards to the other corrupt states of New Mexico and Missouri.

    So, Florida wants to be in the story again, and on October 8, 2014, they implemented their politically motivated arbitrary detention of Charlie Grapski.

    Punishment for politics is a concept worthy of East Germany, and not America.

    Not content to mimic East Germany, Florida is also now using Soviet style political abuse of psychiatry, by applying the Baker Act to hold Grapski on a “pre-crime” (Orwellian) basis. It should be noted that in a free country, there is no such thing as thought crime and pre crime. Florida is off the page, with arbitrary actions by mercurial fiat, and hence Florida authorities are not behaving as authorities would in a free country.

    On Monday, October 6, Charlie Grapski obtained the needed “permission to travel” from the probation / parole office in Kissimmee, Florida. Two days later on Wednesday, October 8, he was asked to return to that office on a pretext that “more paperwork” needed attention. When Grapski went along, complied, and visited that office, a woman there accused him of threatening violence on Twitter.

    However, if anyone asks, “Show me the tweet,” she has no answer and cannot produce a tweet. The evidence does not exist. However, she had police detain Grapski and take him to a mental health facility, where Florida’s Baker Act allows for 72 hours of detention with no basis in crime or charges, but merely the reported suspicion of that woman as an authority figure in Florida. Grapski will be required to be seen by a doctor (a psychiatrist) before he leaves Park Place Behavioral Health Care in Kissimmee, Florida

    Like

  30. Annie Cabani

    Here’s an example of a “pedestrian check” that ended exactly how all “pedestrian checks” should end (although the happenstance of a wealthy white attorney should NOT be necessary).

    Kudos to Al Sharpton for this piece last night and the Washington Post for publicizing the incident (and, of course, to the attorney).

    Like

  31. I’m a Florida girl so I don’t understand some terms used up north……what exactly is a gangway?

    Like

    • yahtzeebutterfly

      towerflower,

      At the vigil the uncle of Vonderrick Myers pointed to the area between the building he was standing in front of and the next building.

      “gangway” apparently refers to the space between two buildings.

      Like

      • yahtzeebutterfly

        Addition to At the vigil the uncle of Vonderrick Myers pointed to the area between the building he was standing in front of and the next building saying that was where Vonderrick was killed.

        Like

      • Yahtzee, sorry I didn’t see your comment before I replied to Towerflower. Where I grew up in Chicago, we had a gangway. As kids, we played Jacks in the gangway. 🙂

        Like

    • Towerflower,

      I’m a Florida girl so I don’t understand some terms used up north……what exactly is a gangway?

      A gangway is an open area between two houses that leads to the backyard or the door to the basement of a building. Think of it as a side drive that does not have a garage. Some gangways are enclosed.

      Like

  32. had she not been a lawyer and white the female may have been killed right there, clearly what she did could be called resisting, non compliance and she clearly walked directly towards an officer and was angry…….

    Like

    • Annie Cabani

      That’s a pretty big and shameful “had she not been,” isn’t it? And, gosh – didn’t she look like she had a weapon tucked behind her sweater, too? Hmph!

      I love the, “Now please leave our neighborhood.”

      I wonder if that’s what Mike Brown told Darren Wilson when his head was pulled inside the police vehicle? SMDH.

      Like

  33. yahtzeebutterfly

    As far as news of Ferguson and St. Louis most of the mainstream media is just “dishing out leftovers” instead of having investigative reporters on the ground.

    Like

    • peni4yothot

      Exactly. Tef Poe/Taurean Russell on Chris Hayes repeated what you wrote. They also said the disorganization of the organizing is intentional.

      Like

  34. yahtzeebutterfly

    Natalie Jackson @NatJackEsq
    I c a 3rd world slippery slope w/ “private police” only in certain rich neighborhoods -> Public cop, private employer
    http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/article_f57f630d-cd97-516b-b619-1dc7fd2fea33.html

    Like

  35. yahtzeebutterfly

    Livestreaming now of peaceful protest at the Ferguson PD headquarters:

    http://www.ustream.tv/z?utm_campaign=JPER&utm_medium=FlashPlayer&utm_source=embed

    Like

  36. yahtzeebutterfly

    Here is an excellent page of articles:

    http://thefreethoughtproject.com

    Like

  37. yahtzeebutterfly

    From Kim M:

    8h 8 hours ago
    View inside @ handsupunited_’s office. Their walls are filled with faces of those killed by police #FergusonOctober
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BzpBmhRIIAAljOQ.jpg:large

    Another wall in @handsupunited_’s office.
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BzpB0FMIQAADjEV.jpg:large

    Like

  38. yahtzeebutterfly

    Molly @ · 18h
    So I’m literally two blocks from y’all and I’m giving my #BlackLivesMatter speech in my conference room and taking questions.

    Q: Are people scary? (Translation: Are black people scary?)
    A: The police are the scary ones.

    Q: What are you typing on your phone?
    A: I’m tweeting your questions.
    Q: You can’t do that!
    A: I’m not using names.
    Q: Oh, okay.

    “I have black friends.” I asked who & he named the two cleaning people for the building… What are their last names? He doesn’t know.

    Trying to explain that being nice to black people isn’t the same as not being racist.

    Q: Why don’t I trust the police?
    A: Police lie. Police hurt people. Police act like schoolyard bullies with weapons. How can I trust them?

    We’re looking up videos on my laptop now. Coco & Josh being beaten, people being gassed, maced, shot at. I have to show them this shit.

    Q: You seem upset.
    A: Watching these videos upsets me.
    Q: We don’t have to watch.
    A: I think we need to watch them until we are all upset.

    Q: But if they hate us, why do you help them?
    A: “They” don’t hate “us.” We should ALL hate the system that oppresses and harms some of us.

    Q: How come you can speak for black people?
    A: I can’t. I don’t. I’m speaking as a person who understands racism. I only speak for myself.

    Q: What about black-on-black crime?
    A: Explains crime statistics, usage of “black-on-black” to detract from racially motivated crime.

    Q: I don’t see color.
    A: We all need to see color or we will ignore the racial disparities in treatment by police & by society.

    Q: Do you get scared protesting?
    A: Yes. I’ve been afraid of the police several times. I’ve thought they might hurt or kill me & others.

    Q: Why do you go if you’re afraid?
    A: Because black people can’t take a day off from being black.

    Q: Mike Brown’s mom was on welfare though.
    A: Mike Brown’s mom worked down the street. Please stop paying attention to Fox News.

    Q: Abraham Lincoln ended slavery!
    A: Ending slavery didn’t end oppression.

    We’re winding down. I’m talking about how many lovely people I’ve met protesting. The men seem shocked.

    Like

    • Loving it!

      Like

    • Abraham Lincoln ended slavery!

      How long are people going to use that to infer that Blacks are not discriminated against on institutional levels?

      When everyone who was previously “free” owns 100% of the property, 100% of the businesses, work 100% in professions such as medicine, law, elected positions, teaching; have 100% of the money; own 100 % of the guns, and are the only ones who have sections of their race who can read and write, and they close doors to freed slaves because of the color of their skin, what then?

      What Lincoln did was put something on paper, but made nothing available to give slaves a start. By analogy, it would be like parents locking their children up in the house for 18 years and at that age, tell them they are “emancipated” and to get out of the house and make it on their own.

      “Emancipated” might mean not a slave but tell that to abused women in relationships and advise them to just walk away with their children when they have no job, no transportation, no money, and their education has been limited to what their abuser teaches them.

      Like

      • butterflydreamer2

        Xena,

        Amazing isn’t it, that there are people who still believe that in 1865 millions of slaves were freed, and that they walked off the plantations, went into town, rented a place to live, bought food and goods, and went and got themselves a job.

        Like

        • Butterflydreamer,
          Indeed, amazing! They think too that the schools welcomed the emancipated slaves. In the alternative, emancipated slaves went into the woods, cut trees and built log cabin schools where Whites beat down the door to voluntarily teach.

          It’s not as if the 1960’s is that far back in history that people don’t remember that President Johnson had the National Guard protect Black students integrating schools. That’s the generation that raised the next generation who are still fighting for equality for their children who are fighting to stay alive and not be victims of murder by cop in their homes as well as outside.

          Like

  39. yahtzeebutterfly

    Livestream #FergusonOctober

    http://fergusonoctober.com

    Like

    • yahtzeebutterfly

      Some of the chants:

      Sunrise, Sundown.
      We do this for Mike Brown

      Hands up.
      Don’t shoot

      If we don’t get it
      Shut it down

      Hey Hey Ho Ho
      These Killer cops have got to go

      These cops don’t like it
      We want an indictment

      Whose street?
      Our street!

      Indict, convict

      The whole damn system
      Is guilty as hell

      They say ‘Move back’
      We say ‘Fight back’

      No justice
      No peace

      Like

  40. Right now there are 3 possibilities with Myers…..
    1. Cop planted the gun.
    2. Myers did have a gun and fired at the cop.
    and I just thought of this one last night…
    3. One of Myers friends had the gun and fired and Myers was caught in the cross-fire.

    Like

  41. Cornell West says “Let’s fill up the jails in #Ferguson and Saint Louis” and leaves the podium. #FergusonOctober

    Like

  42. yahtzeebutterfly

    Tonight
    deray mckesson @deray · 1m 1 minute ago
    VonDerrit’s parents are here. Somber. We fight on. #Shaw https://vine.co/v/OA3vJFb50qz

    Like

    • yahtzeebutterfly

      deray mckesson @deray · 1m 1 minute ago
      VonDerrit’s parents are here. Somber. We fight on. #Shaw https://vine.co/v/OA3vJFb50qz

      Charles Wade @akacharleswade · 16m 16 minutes ago
      FYI- I’m with #VonderritMyers mom and father now. Walking them to the group on #Shaw.

      #VonderritMyers family says they are numb but they are here to stand with us. I’m trying to hold together now. #Shaw

      “I miss my boy, man.” #VonderritMyers Sr. his mother breaks down then. Come support them at #Shaw

      Like

  43. yahtzeebutterfly

    deray mckesson @deray
    Tonight, we play our childhood games. The police think justice is a game – we might as well play too. #Shaw

    Yamiche Alcindor @Yamiche
    Protesters say they are staging an action called “They think it’s a game” They will be blocking an intersection playing games like jump rope

    Protesters staging an act of civil disobedience called, “They think it’s a game.” They are actually playing… https://vine.co/v/OALKOMzV0rq

    Like

    • peni4yothot

      Hi Yahtzee, the last I read was, “let the games began”, then lost my internet service. Grateful/glad you were able to capture info for us.

      Words cannot express seeing all the people standing up taking risk (really) for all people here in America.

      Again, thanks Yahtzee for keeping us informed.

      Like

  44. these police should all be under arrest……..the stick tapping alone is enough

    Like

    • peni4yothot

      I thought the same, many walkers carry a stick to scare off dogs. Did you see how they were poking protestors and one used his very aggressively while the protesters were exercising a sit-in @ Quik-trip in Shaw?

      Like

  45. that was awesome to witness, the people stood tall and peaceful and told the police you are violating the law…..told them YOUR kids are NOT exempt some among YOU will kill your children TOO,

    Like

  46. yahtzeebutterfly

    This peaceful protest is absolutely amazing! They are on the campus in the college square (2000+)!

    It was amazing how 3 groups converged to cross the city bridge (on its sidewalk) to arrive on college campus!

    Like

    • yahtzeebutterfly

      Now they are observing 4 minutes of silence. It is so total that all you hear are the night crickets!

      Like

  47. http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/article_3dafbce7-22b0-5c9a-b7e5-98460279f135.html

    Ballistic and GSR tests have come back. Myers had GSR on his hands, shirt, inside a pocket and waistband of his pants. A couple of bullets fired at the officer were linked to the gun that was found by Myers. Also photos of Myers has him holding the same type of gun, which was reported stolen, that was found by him.

    It appears that Myers did in fact fire at the officer.

    Like

    • Towerflower,
      And yet I read somewhere that the ME did not collect evidence to test for GSR saying that such tests are not reliable. Who should we believe? Also, has the officer yet substantiated why he made a “pedestrian stop”?

      Like

      • I don’t have an explanation for the “pedestrian stop” but they tested the clothing and they said GSR was found on Myers’ hand/s. GSR tests for gunpowder residue and you might have a case where someone might not have GSR and did in fact shoot….think GZ whose clothing only had 1 spot of GSR on it and I don’t believe they ever tested Z’s hands…..but he did admit shooting.

        Here is an FBI study on GSR. http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/law-enforcement-bulletin/may_2011/The%20Current%20Status%20of%20GSR%20Examinations

        Like

      • This is from a Univ. of Utah about GSR and false positives and how they may occur.

        “False positives may be caused by contamination or transfer of GSR to the body by mishandling, or when the body is heavily contaminated by GSR from previous shooting. However, the number of particles from secondary environmental contamination is low. (Berk et al, 2007) False positives from neutron activation analysis or from atomic absorption spectroscopy assays can be avoided with SEM because of the ability to identify the morphology of particles. False negatives result from washing of the hands (when this area is sampled) or by victim wearing gloves. A rifle or shotgun may not deposit GSR on hands, bur more likely in the crook of the support arm. (Dalby et al, 2010) ”

        http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/TUTORIAL/GUNS/GUNGSR.html

        Like

        • Interesting Towerflower. Thank you for the links. Now I’m wondering how GSR was detected ‘inside’ the waistband and pocket. Had the weapon been fired before, that would make sense including the amount of GSR on his hand. Allegedly, Meyers’ fired first, three rounds, all missing the officer? Wondering too, what the officers range and visual conditions were being that this ocurred between the gangway and it was night time. I’m seeing too many conflicting stories at this point.

          Like

          • pilcherje……in the Utah pages they discuss how if you are in close proximity to gun fire you can end up with GSR on you. It will also deposit it on the gun as the slide comes back and ejects the spent casing, along with gases/GSR escaping from the muzzle. IF Myers did handle the gun and it had been fired before you can end up with GSR on you….if he put it into the waistband of his pants or pocket it will rub off from the gun and deposit on the material. IF he had recently fired the gun and he still had some on his hands and he put his hands into his pocket or the waistband of his pants then it could rub off his hands and end up on the material—think transfer.

            One of the possible scenarios I listed for what happened that night was could Myers have been caught in a crossfire…….He might have handled the gun getting GSR on his hands and clothing when he put his hands into his pocket or waistband. Is there a possibility that he was between the shooter and the cop? Maybe, I haven’t read how far the gun was from him. It was at night and from what Xena and others said a gangway, where the shooting occurred is a space between two homes. It doesn’t sound like there was much lighting leading it to be more difficult to aim a gun. If there was any distance between the cop and Myers it is also harder to hit your target. I haven’t researched the stolen gun, but the rule is the shorter the barrel of the handgun the less accurate it is for distance. Add in a possible inexperienced shooter and it doesn’t surprise me that the cop was missed…….very few people are born natural shooters and the odds are that Myers wasn’t one.

            I haven’t seen too many conflicting stories. I take the parent’s claims of him holding a sandwich with a grain of salt……they weren’t there. Plus there is the store video of Myers buying the sandwich and he stays in the store for awhile and starts to eat it in the store and it appears that he even shares a bite with a friend. From what I have seen there are only 3 witnesses, the cop and the two friends of Myers who took off and I don’t know if they both came forwarded to talk yet. I said from the beginning that I didn’t see this as another Mike Brown and it appears right now it isn’t and that Myers may have in fact shot at the officer. There is also a video tape that captured the shooting on audio–not visual–which was taken a few blocks from the shooting and you do hear 3 shots and then the rapid fire of the cop’s gun….so that too appears to back the officer’s story of how he was shot at first.

            Like

          • the officers lawyer needs to be informed of the audio tape then because he clearly said the officer was returning fire WHILE being UNDER FIRE, that he was ducked down hiding and put his gun over his head and was firing wildly at the same time he was being shot at………….and the TIMING is very suspect…..the police say around 730, but the store clerk says 6 MINUTES after leaving the store.

            Like

          • Bill, I’m sure they are aware of it, it was on CNN.

            Like

          • Thank you Towerflower – yes, I’m aware of GSR transfer. That’s why I considered that the weapon had been fired prior to Meyers encounter with the officer as making more sense about the locations of transfers.

            Just to name a few conflicts I’ve read; one being that the officer exited his vehicle to speak to the youths, what did he say, why would they scatter? Another, that when he encountered them while still in his vehicle, they scattered by running, the officer gave chase in his vehicle then exited and gave chase to one, that being Meyers. The video in the market does show Meyers, but he’s not wearing a sweatshirt, he’s wearing a T-shirt. If the officer physically encountered Meyers with a sweatshirt, what made the officer suspicious – that Meyers held onto his waistband? Was there a physical confrontation first, pulling off the sweatshirt and then what…seeing Meyers go for a weapon inside his waistband? How, in the dark of night?

            That’s why I considered the officers distance from Meyers to be able to avoid being shot at and actually, this is the first time I’ve seen anything about crouching and firing when being fired upon..why crouch IF you’ve been in a physical confrontation? Enough to be able to pull a sweatshirt off? And yes, the gangway is between two buildings making it more difficult to see anything at night. Which is why again I wonder about the proximity of the officer to Meyers – where was the officer, outside of the gangway or inside? The bushes, Meyers supposedly exited a bushy area to physically confront the officer? Those are just a few questions and conflicts of stories that I’ve read.

            I’ve read that Meyers “found” the weapon? How is that known? I’ve read about recording gun shots in specific locations to determine the number of discharges and approximate locations. Some years ago these devices had been installed in various states as it gives officers a relative location to advance on the scene. It will be relevant to questions surrounding when shots were fired and the timing. And one last consideration, I’ve read that the officer indicated he waited to make sure that Meyers did in fact have a weapon…it would then make more sense if the officer had his weapon ready. What doesn’t make sense is that you would engage in a physical confrontation if you originally “thought” the subject had a weapon in his waistband – why would an officer engage a suspect by grabbing him/her?

            Like

  48. i agree the lawyer should be aware of the recording which raises the question why on earth is the lawyer disagreeing with physical evidence? why is his story so very different from the police story?…….the lawyer says there was a chase while in the car for blocks, then on foot, then they came together(how makes no sense) and fought with the officer removing the hoody, then more running then shooting, saying the officer was shooting blindly with his gun over his head while he was UNDER fire……..and this entire chase ended up right across the street from where it began…….and took only 6 MINUTES…my point is how could the lawyers version be so utterly different from the police versionS?

    Like

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