New Michael Brown Autopsy Is Not Consistent With 'Hands Up Don't Shoot' Theory

The full report from Michael Brown’s autopsy says that the unarmed 18-year-old was shot nine times, including three shots to the head, one of which was instantly fatal. This new evidence from the autopsy appears to be consistent with Officer Darren Wilson’s testimony that Brown was the aggressor, according to the Washington Post. Brown’s blood was found in Wilson’s police car, on his gun and on his uniform.

The autopsy report obtained by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch did not corroborate witness testimonies that Brown was shot while running away, with his hands up, forensic pathologist Dr. Jude Melinek told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The autopsy showed that in addition to the three shots to the head, Brown was shot three times on his right arm, twice in the chest and once at close range in the hand. The bullet wounds suggest Brown was facing Wilson when he was shot one time in the forehead, once on his right arm and both times in the chest.

Witness interviews, the autopsy report and physical evidence from the scene suggested that Wilson and Brown fought for control of the weapon near the officer’s vehicle before Brown was fatally shot. Last week, Wilson told the New York Times that he feared for his life during his encounter with Brown. Wilson said he fired two shots after Brown tried to take his gun from him in his police SUV, one shot hit Brown’s hand at close range.

“Someone got an injury that tore off skin and left it on the car. That fits with everything else that came out,” St. Louis Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Graham told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “There’s blood in the car, now skin on the car, that shows something happened right there.”

The Brown family attorney did not dispute reports of a struggle but said it did not justify the fatal shots.

"Several independent witnesses indicated there was a brief altercation between Michael Brown and Officer Wilson at the patrol car," Benjamin Crump said in a statement. "What we want to know is why Officer Wilson shot Michael Brown multiple times and killed him even though he was more than 20 feet away from his patrol car; this is the crux of the matter."

The new autopsy report differed slightly from a private autopsy commissioned by Brown’s family earlier this week, which found that Brown was shot at least six times, including twice in the head, CNN reported.