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Autopsy backs Ferguson cop as critics rip leak

Autopsy report backs Ferguson cop version of Brown shooting, critics rip leaks

By Mary Papenfuss
A protester demonstrates against police violence in Ferguson, Missouri, earlier this month. The Justice Department is criticizing a leak of the autopsy of shooting victim Michael Brown by a Ferguson cop, saying the action appears to be an "inappropriate" move to try to influence public opinion. UPI/Brian Kersey
A protester demonstrates against police violence in Ferguson, Missouri, earlier this month. The Justice Department is criticizing a leak of the autopsy of shooting victim Michael Brown by a Ferguson cop, saying the action appears to be an "inappropriate" move to try to influence public opinion. UPI/Brian Kersey | License Photo

FERGUSON, Mo., Oct. 23 (UPI) -- An autopsy report and interviews in the Michael Brown case appear to support the version of events by the Missouri cop who fatally shot the teen, but critics and the Justice Department are blasting the leak of the information to the press.

The autopsy revealed a gunshot wound to one of Brown's hands, indicating that he was shot at close range, and not from yards away with his hands raised as protesters have said. Other clues point to signs of a struggle in Officer Darren Wilson's car. Wilson has said he fired on Brown as the teen fought violently for control of the officer's gun and punched him.

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But the US Department of Justice condemned the leaks Wednesday as "irresponsible and highly troubling," noting that they indicated an "inappropriate effort to influence public opinion." The shooting is still being investigated by a grand jury, and information is supposed to be kept secret until the panel decides whether or not to press charges against Wilson. That decision likely won't be made until November.

"The whole damn system is guilty as hell," said a leader in the Ferguson protest movement regarding the Brown shooting. The issues are "supposed to play out in the courts and the justice system, and not the media," she added.

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