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After Joshua Brown was killed, one question came pouring from every corner of the nation: “Who did it?”
As a key witness who contradicted the narrative presented by former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger about the night she killed Botham Jean, it was clear to many how important Brown’s courageously-told testimony would be. Jason Hermus was the lead prosecutor in the Guyger case and he told the Dallas News that Brown “bravely came forward to testify when others wouldn't,” and went on to say, "If we had more people like him, we would have a better world."
Still, Brown ended up dead and, though the police claim they know what happened, there’s still some skepticism amongst the public.
Many people are questioning the legitimacy of the police timeline and details of the events they say led up to the killing of Brown. While police allege they were able to piece together what happened quickly because of “numerous tips,” some feel that it seems almost too good to be true for them to solve a crime plot they claim crossed state lines so promptly.
Others are urging caution when it comes to questioning authority - one person being the mayor of Dallas himself.
Dallas mayor Eric Johnson took to Twitter to shun any conspiracy theories about Brown’s murder. He tweeted: “I trust the Dallas Police Department will conduct a thorough investigation into the death of Joshua Brown. Until we know more about this incident, I encourage everyone to refrain from speculation.”
He also said, “If you have information about this case, please share it with our police investigators so they can ensure that justice is done. Dallas will never be a city that tolerates acts of violence such as this.” The mayor’s comments drew their fair share of criticism.
Police are saying that Brown was killed in a drug deal gone wrong. According to NBC DFW, “Dallas police investigators said they believe the suspects traveled approximately 300 miles — a 4 1/2 hour's drive — to buy marijuana from Brown.” Countless people responded to this allegation with doubt because they found the prospect of anyone driving that far to be illogical.
Botham Jean’s family lawyer, Lee Merritt, has confirmed that Brown was worried someone may be after him. The Guardian reported Merritt saying, “He was reluctant to testify in this case because he had been shot at and he thought some people might want to do harm to him.” Now that Brown is gone, concern still remains. After all, he wasn’t the only witness who contradicted Guyger’s testimony.