Why am I not surprised that the results of a private autopsy on Michael Brown’s body fail to corroborate the stories of either the police or the eyewitnesses? According to forensic pathologist Dr. Michael M. Baden, none of the six shots that struck Mr. Brown entered from the rear, and there was no gunpowder on his body, indicating that none of the shots came at very close range. Dr. Baden didn’t have access to Mr. Brown’s clothes, however, so his results are inconclusive about whether a shot was fired while they struggled in the car window.
What his autopsy showed was that Mr. Brown was struck by six bullets, four of which hit Mr. Brown in his right arm, one of which hit him in his right eye and ricocheted into his collarbone, and the last of which struck the top of his skull causing a fatal injury. This is consistent with Mr. Brown bowing his head in submission or bowing his head to charge the officer. No help there.
What seems clear, however, is that he wasn’t struck in the back while he was running away, as multiple eyewitnesses declared. And there is nothing in the report to back up multiple accounts that a shot rang out while the officer was still in the car, which is something even the police have claimed.
So, unfortunately, the autopsy results add more confusion than clarity.
