Photo of Michael Brown Involved in Strong-Arm Robbery-Truth!
Summary of eRumor:
A photo has gone viral on the Web that allegedly shows Michael Brown involved in a strong-arm robbery. The photo was reportedly to have been taken shortly before he was shot by Police Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Mo.
The Truth:
The photo is real and came from a video surveillance system, according to an August 15, 2014, article by USA Today. The article said, “Michael Brown was identified as a suspect in a strong-arm robbery of a box of cigars moments before he was shot to death by Officer Darren Wilson.” The incident took place on the evening of August 9.
The article also said Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson told reporters in a press conference that Officer Wilson “stopped Brown and a friend because ‘they were in the middle of the street, blocking traffic,'” and that Wilson had not initially made a connection between Brown and the robbery. It was not until Wilson noticed a box of cigars being carried by Brown, which had been reported stolen, that he began to connect Brown with the robbery.