Three’s a charm, they say. Maybe this time around Attorney General Eric Holder will find evidence that confirms his preconception of how Michael Brown (aka one of “his people”) met his end on the streets of a St. Louis suburb.
From the St. Louis Post Dispatch:
The U.S. Department of Justice will conduct a third autopsy of Michael Brown, whose shooting death by a Ferguson police officer touched off a week of volatile protests that boiled over for another night late Sunday.
Meanwhile, a private autopsy requested by the family showed Brown was struck at least six times, including a fatal shot to the skull, Anthony Gray, an attorney for Brown’s family, said Sunday night.
All bullets entered the front of his body; two shots hit Brown’s head and four hit his right arm, according to a report by the New York Times.
According to the Times, Dr. Michael M. Baden, who conducted the autopsy, said: “This one here looks like his head was bent downward,” indicating the wound at the very top of Brown’s head. “It can be because he’s giving up, or because he’s charging forward at the officer.”
So who is Michael Baden and why is he entertaining the possibility that Brown may have been “charging forward at the officer”? The answer to the first question is that Baden is board-certified forensic pathologist known for his work investigating high-profile deaths, including that of John F. Kennedy. His previous positions include chief medical examiner for New York City. The answer to the second is that there is a distinct possibility that Brown, who was 6’4″ and weighed 292 pounds, was rushing Darren Wilson.
Which is why Holder has ordered a third autopsy. In a statement Sunday, the AG said the “extraordinary circumstances” surrounding Brown’s shooting dictated that the feds conduct their own probe. And what happens if Justice’s autopsy fails to show that Brown was a victim of over-the-top police brutality? There’s always tomorrow.
And tomorrow. And tomorrow.
