Midday Roundup: Grand jury documents reveal Ferguson officer's story

Completely overpowered. Members of the public can now review almost all the evidence that the St. Louis grand jury saw in its review of the Michael Brown shooting. The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s office made it available last night, and many media outlets have posted the raw material to their websites. It’s the first time a full account of Officer Darren Wilson’s side of the story has been made publicly available. In an interview with the St. Louis County Police Department, Wilson described how Brown blocked the door of his police car when Wilson got out to approach him. Wilson said Brown then ducked into the car with his hands, head, torso and began hitting him in the head. The officer describes his thought process in getting out his gun because in a seated position while defending himself he could not reach his mace or asp. Then, according to Wilson, Brown took control of his gun. “He had me completely overpowered while I was sitting in the car,” Wilson said.

Low-pressure pumps. Consumers are getting relief at the gas pump ahead of the holiday travel season. Gasoline prices have fallen another 10 cents per gallon over the past two weeks and are down 88 cents since the peak of this year in May. AAA spokesman Michael Green said an increase in domestic oil production has helped push prices lower. Falling fuel prices are good news for retailers because there’s more cash in the pockets of consumers. “U.S. drivers are saving about $250 million a day on gas prices, and those are real savings coming just in time for holiday shopping and travel season,” Green said.

Jailed. A 17-year-old in Sarasota, Fla., is in jail on human trafficking charges. Authorities accuse of him of organizing a prostitution ring of high-school students as a way to earn money and get free alcohol. Police have also arrested a 21-year-old man who paid to have sex with a 15-year-old girl. Another arrest is expected today.

A futile effort? Iran’s supreme leader struck a defiant tone after nuclear talks with Western nations failed to meet a self-imposed deadline yesterday. The negotiators extended the deadline until June, but Ayatollah Ali Khameini’s remarks indicate there might not be a timeframe long enough. “On the nuclear issue, the United States and European colonialist countries gathered and applied their entire efforts to bring the Islamic Republic to its knees but they could not and they will not,” Khameini said, speaking to a group of clerics, according to his website.

The rape school. The University of Virginia has suspended all fraternity and sorority activities on campus in response to a scathing and disturbing article in Rolling Stone about the campus’ rape culture. The article describes how a fraternity member allegedly lured his date to an upstairs room during a frat party where other students were lying in wait to gang rape her. It also tells how the victim met resistance when she came forward. When she asked why UVA did not make its sexual assault statistics public, one administrator reportedly told her, “Because nobody wants to send their daughter to the rape school.” UVA is the subject of a federal investigation by the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights and is conducting an internal review of its procedures for responding to sexual assault reports.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.