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After Ferguson police shooting, apparent witness tweets: ‘I just saw someone die’

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Beverly Scott of Chicago adds to the makeshift memorial in Ferguson, Mo., for Michael Brown.   (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
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Protesters march through Ferguson in support of Micheal Brown.  (Jeff Roberson / Associated Press )
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Nikki Jones of Spanish Lake, Mo., displays a button in support of Michael Brown.   (Curtis Compton / Associated Press )
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A protester holds a candle while marching silently with his hands up during an Aug. 20 demonstration on West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, Mo.   (Curtis Compton / Associated Press)
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Protesters in Ferguson, Mo., march in the street as lightning flashes in the distance on Aug. 20.   (Jeff Roberson / Associated Press)
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Tony Wheeler of Springfield, Mo., tries to keep the peace in a heated situation after items were thrown at the line of police along West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson on Aug. 19.  (Huy Mach / Louis Post-Dispatch)
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Police charge into the media work area with rifles at ready as they try to control protesters.  (Scott Olson / Getty Images)
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Police confront a man in the early hours of Aug. 20.  (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
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Demonstrators on Aug. 19.  (Scott Olson / Getty Images)
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Demonstrators create a barrier to restore the calm between the police and demonstrators and journalists after items were thrown at police on West Florissant Avenue.  (Huy Mach / St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
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A protester holds roses in the air as she marches with others past police officers in Ferguson, Mo., on Tuesday.  (Curtis Compton / Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
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A demonstrator in Ferguson is arrested.   (Scott Olson / Getty Images)
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Demonstrators in Ferguson march as police look on.   (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
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A policeman stands by as demonstrators march in Ferguson on behalf of Michael Brown.   (Scott Olson / Getty Images)
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Protesters move down the street, many carrying roses, in Ferguson, Mo.   (Jeff Roberson / AP)
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A shirt reading “hands up don’t shoot” is covered with roses Tuesday at the spot Michael Brown was killed by police Aug. 9 in Ferguson, Mo.  (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
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People gather outside an area blocked off by St. Louis police where a robbery suspect was shot and killed by St. Louis police a few miles from protests in suburban Ferguson.   (Larry W. Smith / European Pressphoto Agency)
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In this Feb. 11, 2014 image from video, police officer Darren Wilson attends a City Council meeting in Ferguson, Mo. Police identified Wilson, 28, as the officer who shot Michael Brown on Aug. 9, 2014, sparking protests in the suburban St. Louis town.   (City of Ferguson )
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Duane Merrells walks with an upside-down flag in a protest sparked the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, killed by a police officer Aug. 9 in Ferguson, Mo.   (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
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In this photo taken with a fisheye lens, people protest after the fatal shooting by police of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. Brown’s shooting has sparked more than a week of protests, riots and looting in the St. Louis suburb.   (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
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Law enforcement officers watch during a protest on West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, Mo. Just hours after President Obama called for calm, police fired tear gas in another night of unrest in the Missouri town, where a white police officer shot and killed an unarmed black teenager.   (Michael B. Thomas / AFP/Getty Images)
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A man is detained by police during a protest Monday in Ferguson, Mo.   (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
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A man bends down in prayer as police try to disperse a small group of protesters in Ferguson, Mo.   (Jeff Roberson / Associated Press)
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A man is detained after a standoff with police Monday during a protest for Michael Brown, who was killed by a police officer Aug. 9 in Ferguson, Mo.   (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
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Police stand along a street as demonstrators in Ferguson, Mo., continued protesting Monday. The midnight curfew was lifted, and National Guard troops were called in.   (Larry W. Smith / European Pressphoto Agency)
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Rapper Nelly, center, walks with protesters Monday in Ferguson, Mo.   (Jeff Roberson / Associated Press)
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Getty Images photographer Scott Olson is brought to a police van after being arrested Monday while covering demonstrations in Ferguson, Mo.  (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
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Dr. Michael Baden, right, who conducted an independent autopsy at the request of victim Michael Brown’s family, explains that Brown received a gunshot to the top of his head. Standing next to him are Brown family attorneys Benjamin Crump, left, and Daryl Parks.   (Robert Rodriguez / European Pressphoto Agency)
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Daryl Parks, an attorney representing the family of Michael Brown, points to a diagram produced during a private autopsy done on Brown at the request of family members. Parks spoke to reporters during a news conference at Greater St. Mark Family Church in St. Louis on Aug. 18.  (Associated Press)
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Leo Walker, left, and his sister Letrece protest the killing of teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.   (Scott Olson / Getty Images)
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Tear gas reigns down on a woman kneeling in the street with her hands in the air in Ferguson.  (Scott Olson / Getty Images)
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Protesters run when the police shoot tear gas in Ferguson.  (J. B. Forbes / MCT)
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A protestor is detained in Ferguson.  (Christian Gooden / AP)
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People run from tear gas deployed by police in an effort to disperse the crowd Sunday night.   (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
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A police officer prepares to throw a tear gas canister toward demonstrators.  (Ed Zurga / European Pressphoto Agency)
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People run from tear gas launched by police to disperse the crowd of protesters gathered Sunday night in Ferguson, Mo.  (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
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Tear gas and smoke waft around the site of a protest Sunday.  (Joshua Lott / Getty Images)
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A lone protestor with a peace sign runs to escape tear gas.  (Robert Cohen / MCT)
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A woman has her face doused with milk after she was sprayed with tear gas by police during a protest Sunday.  (Joshua Lott / Getty Images)
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Protesters help Cassandra Roberts, who was hit by tear gas.  (Robert Cohen / MCT)
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People leave a McDonald’s restaurant after taking refuge from tear gas in Ferguson.  (Charlie Riedel / AP)
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Smoke from tear gas and flash grenades drifts around demonstrators, who again gathered Sunday to protest the police shooting death of Michael Brown a week earlier.  (Joshua Lott / Getty Images)
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Demonstrators on Sunday raise their hands during a protest over the police shooting death of Michael Brown, who was unarmed.   (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
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Demonstrators protest the Aug. 9 police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.  (Joshua Lott / AFP/Getty Images)
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Protesters in Ferguson, Mo., on Aug. 16.   (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
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Protestors blocl West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, Mo., refusing to leave despite police orders early Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014.  (Robert Cohen / McClatchy-Tribune)
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Protesters block West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, Mo., early Saturday.   (Robert Cohen / McClatchy-Tribune)
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A looter leaves a beauty supply store on West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson, Mo., early Saturday.  (Robert Cohen / St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
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Men carry rifles to protect a grocery store in Ferguson after a new outbreak of vandalism and looting.   (Scott Olson / Getty Images)
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Mustafa Alshalabi cleans up Sam’s Meat Market after it was struck by looters overnight.  (Scott Olson / Getty Images)
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Protesters in Ferguson, Mo., on Friday night.   (Robert Cohen / St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
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A protester takes shelter from tear gas exploding around him in Ferguson, Mo.  (David Carson / MCT)
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A demonstrator throws a projectile back at police Friday night in Ferguson, Mo.   (Scott Olson, Getty Images)
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The Rev. Jesse Jackson hugs Jakailin Johnson, 11, as he greets a group of demonstrators calling for justice in Michael Brown’s shooting death.  (Laurie Skrivan / St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
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Ty Crustfield pauses Aug. 15 before a makeshift memorial in the middle of the street where Michael Brown was killed by police in Ferguson, Mo.  (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
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Protesters march on Aug. 15 down the middle of a street in front of a convenience store that was looted and burned after the shooting death of Michael Brown by police in Ferguson, Mo.  (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
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Protestors march on West Florissant Avenue as they head to the location where Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, Missouri.  (ROBERT RODRIGUEZ / EPA)
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Police say video frame grabs from a security camera show Michael Brown, center, during a robbery.  (Ferguson Police Department)
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Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri Highway Patrol hugs Angela Whitman on West Florissant Avenue. Johnson is leading the state police’s security effort in the city. Whitman was marching with the St. Louis Metropolitan Clergy Coalition.  (David Carson / Associated Press)
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Jay Mitchell of Pagedale, Mo., solicits a response of hands in the air from a crowd of several hundred in St. Louis during a peace vigil and moment of silence for Brown.  (Christian Gooden / St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
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People listen as residents, religious leaders and community officials discuss unrest in Ferguson, Mo., in the wake of the shooting death of Michael Brown during a community meeting at Christ the King Church in Florissant.   (Scott Olson / Getty Images)
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A demonstrator, protesting the shooting death of teenager Michael Brown, stands his ground as police fire tear gas in Ferguson, Mo.  (Scott Olson / Getty Images)
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The Williams family is overcome with emotion after Terrell Williams El, left, confronted police. “I’m out here to stand for my children and their future,” said Williams El.   (David Carson / Associated Press)
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A demonstrator throws back a tear gas container after police tried to break up a protest in suburban St. Louis. Ferguson, Mo., has been the scene of unrest since 18-year-old Michael Brown was fatally shot there during a confrontation with a policeman last Saturday.   (Robert Cohen / Associated Press )
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Smoke fills the nighttime air during a clash between police and protesters in Ferguson.   (Jeff Roberson / Associated Press )
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Police and protesters face off on West Florissant Avenue in Ferguson.   (Robert Cohen / Associated Press )
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A demonstrator pleads with another to walk away after being ordered off a street by police in Ferguson.  (Scott Olson / Getty Images)
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As riot police stand by, a child’s hands are held in the air, a symbol of defiance among protesters since the death of Michael Brown.   (Scott Olson / Getty Images)
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A protest march by supporters of Michael Brown moves along a Ferguson street.   (J.B. Forbes / McClatchy-Tribune )
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Demonstrators protesting the killing of Michael Brown rally in St. Louis.   (Scott Olson / Getty Images)
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Michael Brown’s distraught grandmother, Desuirea Harris, is helped out of a church in Jennings, Mo., at a press conference at the Jennings Mason Temple Church of God in Christ.  (J. B. Forbes / MCT)
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Police wearing riot gear walk toward a man with his hands raised in Ferguson, Mo. Authorities have made several arrests in Ferguson, where crowds have looted and burned stores, vandalized vehicles and taunted police after a vigil for an unarmed black man who was killed by police.   (Jeff Roberson / Associated Press)
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Officers arrest a man who they said refused to leave when police in riot gear cleared the area in downtown Ferguson, Mo.  (Robert Cohen / McClatchy-Tribune)
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Lesley McSpadden, mother of slain 18-year-old Michael Brown, speaks during a news conference at Jennings Mason Temple Church of God In Christ in Jennings, Mo.   (Michael B. Thomas / Getty Images)
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A man leaves with a bag of goods taken from a convenience store in Ferguson, Mo., after a vigil for Michael Brown, 18, killed in an officer-involved shooting.  (David Carson / St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
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Meghan O’Donnell prays at the spot where Michael Brown was killed, Sunday evening in Ferguson, Mo.   (J.B. Forbes / Associated Press)
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Police face off with demonstrators in Ferguson, Mo., after the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown.   (David Carson / St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
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A man leaves a looted store in Ferguson, Mo.  (David Carson / St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
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A convenience store in suburban St. Louis is looted after a vigil for 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer.  (David Carson /St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
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A crowd gathers at a candlelight vigil for Michael Brown, a teenager who was shot multiple times by a St. Louis police officer Saturday.  (J.B. Forbes / St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
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Protesters bang on the side of a police car in Ferguson, Mo., after a candlelight gathering for Michael Brown, a teenager killed Saturday by police.  (J.B. Forbes / St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
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Lesley McSpadden, center, drops rose petals on the bloodstains from her son, Michael Brown, 18, who was shot dead by police in Ferguson, Mo.   (Huy Mach / St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
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Lesley McSpadden is comforted by her husband, Louis Head, after her 18-year-old son, Michael Brown, was shot and killed by police in Ferguson, Mo.   (Huy Mach / St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
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Residents cry, “Don’t shoot us” as they confront police arriving at the scene of Michael Brown’s fatal shooting in Ferguson, Mo.  (David Carson / St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
By Ryan Parker
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Tweets posted in the moments after a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown appear to provide a contemporaneous account of the shooting and immediate aftermath.

The tweets were sent by an individual using the Twitter handle @TheePharoah, who describes himself as a St. Louis-based rapper. The individual has not spoken to reporters and has said on his account that he has no plans to do so. He has been active on Twitter since 2010, and Times reporter Molly Hennessy-Fiske viewed the scene from the apartment building to verify the location.

Warning: The language in the tweets is raw and may be offensive; one image is graphic. This account was written before the incident became a flash point in the nation about race and use of force by police.

On Friday, police released surveillance video they allege shows Brown committing a strong-arm robbery at a convenience store about half a mile from the location of the shooting. Here's a look at the timeline of events from that point forward, according to this apparent witness:

11:52 a.m.: Convenience store video footage shows a man identified as Michael Brown enter a convenience store with another man, later identified as Dorian Johnson

11:54 a.m.: That same video shows Brown and Johnson leaving the store after Brown appears to have a confrontation with the clerk. Police allege he stole Swisher Sweets cigars from the store

[NOTE: Times below may appear in the Pacific Time zone, which is two hours earlier than Missouri time.]

12:03 p.m.: Half a mile away, in the 2900 block of Canfield Road, the witness tweets:

Two minutes later, he shares a photo of the scene, shot from the Canfield Green Apartments.

Someone on Twitter asks @TheePharoah:

He responds:

Another person asks for more details:

He responds:

Another person asks:

He answers:

He share's another image of the scene:

@TheePharoah says he sees Brown's parents arrive.

Someone speculated to @TheePharoah that Brown must have had a reason to be running from police. Police said on Friday that Brown was a suspect in an alleged robbery at a nearby convenience store, but the police officer who shot him was not aware of that when he pulled him over for walking in the middle of the street. @TheePharoah appears to have heard about the allegations shortly after the shooting.

Follow @theryanparker for breaking news

World & Nation
Ryan Parker

Ryan Parker is a former staff writer for the Los Angeles Times.

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