Ferguson

This past week some black teenager, one Michael Brown, was shot dead in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri by a white cop.  The teenager was unarmed, or so they say.   I did see a picture of Brown laying face down in the street, dead.  I couldn't help but feel sorry for him, he was just a kid.  This was a tragic outcome, whatever the facts are.

Why did the cop shoot Brown?  I do not know.  No reason has been clearly set forth in the media.  Angry black mobs are now looting stores in Ferguson and claiming that Michael Brown was "executed."  I doubt that the officer drew down on Brown and pumped him full of lead for no reason.  Was the officer in fear of his life?  A reasonable fear of his life would be the only acceptable reason for using deadly force; otherwise, the cop should be indicted.  However, I don't know what happened, and it seems few people do.

Meanwhile, a store video cam taped a scene where Michael Brown apparently shoplifted some cheap cigars, and pushed the store clerk away when the latter objected to the theft.  That, of course, is no reason to kill Brown, but no one is claiming that it was.  It does show a young man breaking the law, making it clear that Michael Brown was not an angel.  

Maybe when the black underclass in Ferguson stops rioting, the Police Department will have time to study the event and give us some facts.  Did Brown attempt to grab the officer's gun?  Did Brown charge the officer before he was shot?  Was Brown under the influence of drugs that made him paranoid and aggressive?  We need facts, and I will withhold my judgment on the case until we get some.

UPDATE:   There is growing evidence that Michael Brown was shot while bum-rushing the police officer, running at full speed.  See the Gateway Pundit article (hat tip to Sarah) here.  If so, the officer did have reason to fear for his life.  There is also a cell phone recording where bystanders are discussing the shooting immediately after it happened, and they also indicate Brown rushed the officer.  It appears that the tale of poor Brown raising his arms in surrender, only to be executed, is a fairy-tale.  I suspect Michael Brown was high on some mind-altering drug, and that would explain his irrational and self-destructive behavior.