The assault on the officer has not been corroborated. What we do know if that Brown was shot once in the back, then 4-6 more times in the chest and head. Several pictures on social media showed the aftermath of this shooting.
Regardless of the situation, there is no reason for this young man have been cut down in the street with 7-10 bullets. Especially since multiple witnesses have provided accounts, independently, that they saw Brown get shot in the back and then, after raising his hands, was shot 4-6 more times.
You see, that is the issue. It isn't whether Brown did something deserving to be shot. It isn't attempting to make Brown out as a saint. It is the consistent pattern of abuse, oppression, and overzealous application of unnecessary force that have made the Ferguson PD the source of national scrutiny.
Of course, if this wasn't bad enough, Brown's body was loaded into the back of a SUV instead of the coroner's van. As a result, a thorough investigation will be complicated by a perceived police cover up.
To add: I also don't understand, well I guess I do, this bloodlust on the part of Christians. "You touch a police officer you deserve to be shot" is nonsense and provides a mentality that perpetuates a culture of violence. Though we should be respectful of law enforcement officials, they are not, by virtue of their office, above their own laws and regulations. Suggesting that this, or any other citizen, is deserving of such treatment for facts that are based mostly in perception and not reality is not in keeping the tradition of Christianity that calls for civility and non-violence. This officer, whoever he is, is not a sovereign being who can take life as he chooses. In the end, this mentality that is voiced above is self-defeating and self-refuting. We are called to be better.