If true it'll be irrelevant to the officer's use of lethal force unless the officer knew about it and was detaining he and his aquaintance for questioning about it. Report I heard, the officer detained them both for j-walking. In the process of that, Mr. Brown physically assaulted the officer pushing on his car door whereupon a physical struggle ensued resulting in the officer using lethal force as was his right legally as per Missouri statute 563.046
Did you actually read it?
Law enforcement officer's use of force in making an arrest.
563.046. 1. A law enforcement officer need not retreat or desist from efforts to effect the arrest, or from efforts to prevent the escape from custody, of a person he reasonably believes to have committed an offense because of resistance or threatened resistance of the arrestee. In addition to the use of physical force authorized under other sections of this chapter, he is, subject to the provisions of subsections 2 and 3, justified in the use of such physical force as he reasonably believes is immediately necessary to effect the arrest or to prevent the escape from custody.
2. The use of any physical force in making an arrest is not justified under this section unless the arrest is lawful or the law enforcement officer reasonably believes the arrest is lawful.
3. A law enforcement officer in effecting an arrest or in preventing an escape from custody is justified in using deadly force only
(1) When such is authorized under other sections of this chapter; or
(2) When he reasonably believes that such use of deadly force is immediately necessary to effect the arrest and also reasonably believes that the person to be arrested
(a) Has committed or attempted to commit a felony; or
(b) Is attempting to escape by use of a deadly weapon; or
(c) May otherwise endanger life or inflict serious physical injury unless arrested without delay.
4. The defendant shall have the burden of injecting the issue of justification under this section.
A fleeing unarmed suspect doesn't meet this criteria.
(c) May otherwise endanger life or inflict serious physical injury unless arrested without delay.
The crime they suspected him of..didn't even meet that criteria.
He was unarmed.