There’s a new twist in the case of the shooting death of Mike Brown. The owners of the convenient store victim Mike Brown is said to have allegedly robbed, minutes before being shot and killed by Ferguson, MO police officer Darren Wilson, have made a statement through their attorney saying they never claimed Brown robbed them, and they never called 911 to report the crime.

In video footage recorded by the store’s security camera and released by the Ferguson Police Department days after Brown was shot, a large black male believed to be Brown is seen shoving the owner in a small scuffle before walking out of the store. The accompanying description offered by the police for the video states that Brown was stealing a pack of cigars, and when confronted by the store owner, Brown strong-armed him and fled the scene. Police said they were notified by a 911 call made by the owners reporting the robbery, and thus, completing the police’s narrative that Brown was a criminal. (How that leads to justification for being shot and killed remains to be seen.)

This claim made by the owners of the store, being reported on counter-culture blogs rather than mainstream media, adds an interesting wrinkle to the Ferguson Police Department’s claims about Brown’s character. By claiming Brown was involved in a robbery just prior to being shot, the police have effectively labeled him a villain. It’s a despicable effort to sway public opinion in a case that is perceived by many to be a racially-induced incident of police brutality. That said, there are other witnesses to Brown’s presence in the convenience store that day, but it’s difficult to understand why the owners would deny it is Brown in the security video.

Massive protests continue to erupt throughout Ferguson, and national media attention has focused on the excessive force used by police in response to the uprising.