Friend of Michael Brown Who Helped Spark ‘Hands Up, Don’t Shoot’ Chant Dies After Being Shot in Ferguson

Eleven years after the officer shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, sparked waves of protest against police brutality, the friend who was with Brown when it happened has been shot dead.

Dorian Johnson, 33, was the victim of a shooting at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday at a block of apartments less than a mile from where Brown died, according to Ferguson Police spokesperson Patricia Washington.

Johnson’s account of Brown’s 2014 killing helped inspire the iconic “hands up, don’t shoot” protest chant heard in demonstrations across the US that year, though subsequent investigations called into question the details of Brown’s actions before he died.

One person was taken into custody but was released with no criminal charges filed, according to Melissa Price Smith, St. Louis County prosecuting attorney.

“This appears to be a domestic incident involving a claim of self-defense,” Price Smith said in a statement, adding the case remains under investigation and her office remains in ongoing consultation with Ferguson police about possible future criminal charges.

The police department emphasized that Johnson was not shot by an officer.

“There had been earlier rumors that this was an officer-involved shooting however that information is incorrect. No officers, Ferguson or otherwise, were involved in this incident other than to begin our investigation,” the police department said in a statement.

{snip}