Gunshot Residue Found On Vonderrit Myers

18-year-old man who was shot and killed by an off-duty St. Louis police officer last week had gunpowder residue on his hands and clothes, according to forensic information released Tuesday.

Vonderrit Myers Jr.’s death on Oct. 8 has drawn scrutiny in St. Louis and in the national media after his family alleged that he was holding a sandwich and not a gun when an officer fired at him 17 times, hitting him seven or eight times.

Police said Myers first fired three times at the officer and missed after a chase and a struggle.

The gunpowder tests conducted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol showed residue on Myers’ hands, shirt and the inside of his waistband, according to a release from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. The department said the residue was not necessarily definitive proof that Myers had fired a gun.

“Individuals shot at close range can have gunshot residue deposited onto their hands,” the statement said. “The presence of gunshot residue on the jeans and shirt could be from being in the environment of a discharged weapon or coming in contact with an object with gunshot residue on it.”

Source

So he was just walking down the street with a sandwich in his hand huh?

Personally I don't think this proves that he fired three shots at the officer, but it does indicate that he fired his weapon at least once prior to his shootout with the cop that day. If there was gunshot residue inside his waistband, then that means at some point that day, he fired the gun then put it away, which was more than likely a separate incident.

Oct. 14 police union's press conference on VonDerritt Myers Jr

3a reply to: Bone75

Personally I don't think this proves that he fired three shots at the officer, but it does indicate that he fired his weapon at least once prior to his shootout with the cop that day. If there was gunshot residue inside his waistband, then that means at some point that day, he fired the gun then put it away, which was more than likely a separate incident.

It says right in the article that gun shot wounds at close range can give off gun powder residue. At first I thought this [article] might prove that he fired shots at the officer, but then I thought about it, 17 times?? How close range were some of the shots? It seems like if someone fired say 5-10 shots up close, and especially if the victim touched his wounds afterward, there would be gun powder wounds in those areas.

Maybe the cop knew and fired extra rounds hoping to deposit some.

They didn't find a gun?

(This post is all speculation I should say, so it's not to be taken out of context)

a reply to: boncho

They did find a gun and the gun was seen in a picture that was posted prior to the event on Facebook. It seems the young man like to tell and show people his gun collection before he got shot. Even the family attorney has said that the picture was real and shows the shooting victim.

Vonderrit Myers Jr. shows

a reply to: boncho

Well the article I posted was the most unbiased source I could find, but other sources claim the cop fired from at least 20 feet away and that the amount of residue found couldn't have happened from that distance.

Like it or not, the physical evidence makes it pretty clear that the guy fired a gun, which says a lot about the credibility of witness testimony coming out of Ferguson.

Probably another great saint of a kid about to go to college. He was just eating a sandwich and running from police...

a reply to: Vasa Croe

I won't be surprised to find out he shot someone earlier that day.

a reply to: Bone75

...had gunshot residue on his hand, the inner waistband of his jeans, and on his T-shirt. Police had earlier announced they had recovered a 9mm handgun, reported stolen on September 26, at the scene of the shooting.

twitchy.com...

If you check this link you will see him posting pictures with his "homies" on instagram, all pointing guns at the camera. I think this case is cut and dry.

I think the OP does an injustice to the case, the fact that the police found a ditched gun un the area the cop says he saw him ditch, and the fact he posted pictures of himself ion instgram with guns, "acting hard" or whatever you wanna call it. Very relevant.