A football player for the University of Arkansas made a political statement during Friday’s game against the Missouri Tigers when he struck the “hands up, don’t shoot” pose used by protesters since the shooting death of Ferguson teenager Michael Brown.
During the first quarter of the game at Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri, Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to running back Jonathan Williams, who then put both hands in the air, mimicking demonstrators who turned the “hands up” saying into a rallying cry against excessive force against minorities by police.
Protesters charge that Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson needlessly shot Brown, 18, on Aug. 9 while his hands were in the air and he was surrendering after an altercation in the officer’s squad car 90 seconds earlier. A grand jury decided not to indict the officer after forensic evidence and eyewitness testimony convinced them otherwise.
The Associated Press reviewed pages of grand jury documents suggesting several different accounts of what Brown did in the moments before his death.
“Some witnesses said the 18-year-old had his hands held high toward the sky as Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson gunned him down. … Others thought they saw his hands partially raised, about shoulder high. To some witnesses, his palms appeared out, as if surrendering. To others, his palms seemed open, as if glancing at his wounded hand or gesturing with an attitude of ’what are you going to do about it.’ Some said Brown’s hands weren’t raised at all,” AP reported Thursday.
There are no photos or videos of what exactly happened the moment Brown was shot and killed.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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