With the feds and the State both investigating the tragic shooting of Michael Brown, the prosecution has many legal hurdles to overcome. The issue is one of probable cause and the experts are sharply divided. Some believe that probable cause to charge the officer exists because the Brown was unarmed. However, others think the officer may have a viable self-defense claim as the two were involved in an encounter that left the officer with a broken eye socket. The issue becomes whether this encounter was enough to place officer in fear of his life.
