re: Get Your Popcorn Out in St. Louis

Prosecutors seemed to have a pretty good point

"Prosecutors believe Stockley’s claim that Smith had a gun and was reaching for it at the time of the shooting was not corroborated by any of the videos or scientific evidence, nor by the actions and reactions of his partner. Prosecutors presented at trial that the actions of his partner were in stark contradiction to Stockley’s own words and claims of self-defense.

Prosecutors concluded that the credibility and reasonableness of Stockley’s actions be judged through the simultaneous actions of his partner Officer Bianchi. Bianchi never fired his weapon. Bianci holstered his weapon while standing by the driver’s side of Smith’s car at the fast food restaurant where Stockley claims Bianchi yelled gun. Bianchi approached Smith’s car after the crash without his weapon drawn.

Stockley’s testimony about seeing Smith with a gun in his right hand pointed at him while in the parking lot of the fast food restaurant is refuted by the physical evidence. Smith’s Buick had a gear shift that had to be operated with the right hand. A button on the back of the gear shift had to be held to shift gears. In order to drive the car forward out of the parking lot after reversing, Smith would have had to have held the gear shift with his right hand and steering wheel with his left hand. As Smith quickly accelerated, there would not have been time for him to then grab a firearm and point it at Stockley.

Stockley’s DNA profile was on every weapon he touched. Anthony Smith’s DNA was not on any weapon."