Michael Mark Scanlan, a key prosecution witness, said he had just had a few drinks with a friend when he arrived at the intersection. He testified that he saw Faulkner and another man standing in the street between the cruiser and the VW. Scanlan said Faulkner had the man (presumably Billy Cook) over the hood of the cruiser, and was beating him with a billy club (which may have been the damaged 17-inch police flashlight that police found at the scene). Scanlan said the man had struck Faulkner first.
In his police statement, Scanlan said he saw Abu-Jamal run across Locust toward the altercation. In a diagram he drew that night for police, he recalled that Faulkner was facing Abu-Jamal as he approached.
Attorneys for Abu-Jamal contend that the diagram shows that the defendant could not possibly have shot Faulkner in the back because the officer was facing him as he approached.
Scanlan recalled seeing Dessie Hightower on the northwest corner of the intersection, but he did not recall seeing another prosecution witness, Cynthia White, on the southeast corner.
Scanlan also identified Abu-Jamal, mistakenly, as the driver of the Volkswagen. He testified, "[There was] confusion when all three of them were in front of the car." Scanlan also indicated confusion, in his original statement, about other aspects of the incident. "I can't describe the gun. I don't know if the officer fired his gun or not. I didn't see him pull his gun or fire it. I don't know whether either of the males was shot or not. I was stunned..."
Scene of the CrimeChronologyDefense Motion