UPDATE — Nov. 12, 1 a.m. ET: A medical examiner ruled Renisha McBride's death a homicide Monday.
An autopsy report determined McBride was shot in the face with "no evidence of close range discharge," according to a report released by the Wayne County Medical Examiner.
Police say Renisha McBride had been in a car accident hours before knocking on the door of a home in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. She was shot and killed with a shotgun.
Police were called to the shooting early in the morning of Nov. 2 and found 19-year-old McBride shot and killed on the front porch of a home, according to a police statement. Now the suspect has told police he fired by mistake.
“This man’s claiming – believed the girl was breaking into the home. And he’s also saying the gun discharged accidentally,” Lt. James Serwatowski, chief detective, said Thursday to the Detroit Free Press.
He also disputed comments from McBride's family saying she was shot in the back of the head.
The family said she had gone to the house seeking help after being involved in a car accident several blocks away. "This girl was not shot in the back of the head while leaving the porch," Serwatowski said. "I don't know where the family is getting this. She was shot in the front of the face, near the mouth."
New comments by police sought to clarify some of the timeline of the night and open up the question of what happened during unaccounted hours between the accident and the shooting.
Following the high-profile George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin case, and coming two months after Jonathan Ferrell, who was killed by police after being in a car accident, anger and outrage has been swift online.
She was unarmed. She posed NO threat. Her killer was in NO danger. He was NOT defending himself. He did NOT shoot to disable her. DONE.
Fiqah
@sassycrass
She was unarmed. She posed NO threat. Her killer was in NO danger. He was NOT defending himself. He did NOT shoot to disable her. DONE.
Here’s a question for the homeowner: If you accidentally shot #RenishaMcBride in the face, why didn’t you call 911 after?
Rania Khalek
@RaniaKhalek
Here’s a question for the homeowner: If you accidentally shot #RenishaMcBride in the face, why didn’t you call 911 after?
Black folks are expected to be responsible for making themselves nonthreatening to white people & cops, lest they be killed. #RenishaMcBride
Jane Doe, MD
@DrJaneChi
Black folks are expected to be responsible for making themselves nonthreatening to white people & cops, lest they be killed. #RenishaMcBride
Racism and a gun are what killed #RenishaMcBride - we need to address both ASAP. No more senseless deaths. Enough is enough.
Linda Sarsour
@lsarsour
Racism and a gun are what killed #RenishaMcBride - we need to address both ASAP. No more senseless deaths. Enough is enough.
This is the porch where McBride was killed.
Rallies were scheduled for Thursday evening.
DETROIT! Join @dreamhampton & community leaders to demand answers in #RenishaMcBride's death 2NITE @6PM details >>> http://t.co/4wJmNE2R7I
Michael Skolnik
@MichaelSkolnik
DETROIT! Join @dreamhampton & community leaders to demand answers in #RenishaMcBride's death 2NITE @6PM details >>> http://t.co/4wJmNE2R7I
Police have not released the race of the man who killed McBride, but demographics tell a tale of two cities that are racially very different. McBride is from Detroit which is 83% black, according to the latest Census. Dearborn Heights is 86% white.
