Billy Cook had apparently driven his Volkswagen the wrong way down a one-way street near City Hall when police officer Daniel Faulkner pulled him over. There may or may not have been a second man with him in the car. Prosecutors believe Cook was alone.
Faulkner parked behind Cook on the south side of Locust Street and the two men left their vehicles. It's unclear who initiated the confrontation that followed--whether Cook struck Faulkner first as the officer tried to handcuff him, as prosecution witnesses maintain, or whether Faulkner struck first, beating Cook with a billy club or a flashlight.
It was then that Mumia Abu-Jamal came wheeling through the intersection, spotted his brother tangling with the cop, stopped in a parking lot on the north side of Locust, and ran across the street toward the scene.
When police arrived later, they found Cook standing near 1234 Locust, the building closest to the shooting scene.
Cook was arrested and convicted for assaulting an officer, but he never testified for either side about what he saw that night. He was scheduled to testify in September on his brother's behalf but failed to appear once again. Abu-Jamal lawyer Leonard Weinglass has said that Cook may be homeless, and that he has not had any contact with Abu-Jamal or the family for some time.
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