“The appropriate investigative procedures were not followed.”
This is how one expert described the aftermath of the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Mo. to the Washington Post. In a detailed report, the authors reveal a number of stunning irregularities in the investigation that emerged from the grand jury report. Among them:
- Darren Wilson was allowed to drive back to the police station completely unescorted
- Wilson himself submitted his gun into evidence
- Interviews between Wilson and investigators immediately after the shooting were not recorded
- No measurements were taken at the scene, as the examiner determined before arriving that “it was self-explanatory what happened. Somebody shot somebody. There was no question as to any distances or anything of that nature at the time I was there.”
- Most egregiously, Wilson was allowed to wash all blood off of his hands before any could be collected for evidence
Essentially, crucial evidence in the case was allowed to either be altered or destroyed, and numerous standard procedures in a case like this were completely ignored. To be fair, these missteps are really not Wilson’s fault; regardless of his culpability in the situation, the reality is that he had just used his gun for the first time ever and had killed someone, so he was likely in at least a semi state of shock.
Instead, the failure rests on everybody else in the Ferguson PD involved with the incident. These types of oversights may all seem minor on their own, but the combined result can compromise the entire investigation.
[via Washington Post]
