The FBI questioned a man who said he recorded audio of gunfire when 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot by a Ferguson police on Aug. 9, CNN reported. The recording revealed a series of gunshots, followed by a pause, and then another quick series of gunfire.
Forensic audio expert Paul Ginsberg said there were at least 10 gunshots according to the audio, a series of six and another four.
“I was very concerned about that pause … because it’s not just the number of gunshots, it’s how they’re fired,” Lopa Blumenthal, the attorney of the man who asked to not be named, said. “And that has a huge relevance on how this case might finally end up.”
Although there was clearly a pause between the gunshots, it was hard to determine why it took place or which side’s narrative it supported.
“It’s the pause that gives most concern in a police shooting, especially with an unarmed victim, because at this point Mr. Brown is defenseless — he has no weapon,” Chris Chestnut, an attorney represented the family of Jonathan Ferrell who was also, like Brown, shot and killed by a white police officer in 2013.
Attorney Van Jones said the pause did not suggest wrongful intent by the officer.
“To be fair, there could be other explanations for that pause,” Jones said. “Maybe the officer will say, ‘Well I fired, and he kept advancing, so I fired again.’”
The man lives near the shooting site and was close enough to hear the gunshots. He was talking to a friend on a video chat during the incident when he happened to record the gunfire.
Photo Credit: Facebook/Bigmike Jr Brown
