MICHAEL Brown, the black teen whose killing by a Missouri police officer has prompted more than a week of unrest, is said to have charged at the cop before he was shot.

Brown, 18, “bum-rushed” officer Darren Wilson, punching him in the face and trying to grab his gun, an alleged friend of the cop said in comments reported by CNN.

The revelation comes as the situation in Ferguson continues to deterioate with more rioting and arrests.

Reporters tweeted from the scene of the clashes that police arrested Getty photographer Scott Olsen“ for not getting out of the way fast enough”.

Photographer just led away with hands zip-tied behind his back. #Ferguson — Anderson Cooper (@andersoncooper) August 18, 2014

He was literally just across the street from the media area. Not a good sign for media access tonight. #Ferguson — Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) August 18, 2014

A “source with detailed knowledge of the investigation into the Missouri shooting of Michael Brown” confirmed that the account “matches the account of officer Darren Wilson as to what happened at the time of the shooting,” the report said.

The friend, identified only as “Josie”, claimed Wilson flagged down Brown and his friend Dorian Johnson for walking in the middle of the street.

“He pulled up ahead of them. And he was watching them, and then he gets the call-in that there was a strongarm robbery. And, they gave a description,” Josie said. “And, he’s looking at them and they got something in their hands and it looks like it could be what, you know those cigars or whatever.

“So he goes in reverse back to them, tries to get out of his car. They slam his door shut violently. I think he said Michael did. And, then he opened the car again, you know, he tried to get out. He stands up. And then Michael just bum-rushes him and shoves him back into his car, punches him in the face and then, of course, Darren grabs for his gun. Michael grabbed for the gun. At one point, he got the gun entirely turned against his hip. And he shoves it away, and the gun goes off.”

The account came as a private pathologists report showed the teen was shot at least six times.

“Six bullets struck, and two may have re-entered” the 18-year-old’s body, said Michael Baden, tasked by Brown’s family and lawyers to conduct an independent examination on his remains.

Mr Baden added that there was no evidence of a struggle between the slain teen and police.

All of this supports eyewitness accounts of his death, while contradicting police claims that Brown fought with Wilson in the moments before he was shot in an incident eight days ago.

The findings of the autopsy showed there was “ample evidence” for Wilson to be arrested, said Darrell Parks, one of the Brown family’s lawyers.

One of the bullets hit the top of Brown’s head, another struck his eye, while others were located on his right arm, Mr Baden told a press conference in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson.

“All of the gunshot wounds could have been survivable, except the one at the top of the head,” he said.

Mr Parks called this the “kill shot”.

Forensic pathologist Shawn Parcells, who assisted Dr Baden during the autopsy, said a graze wound on Brown’s right arm could have occurred in several ways. The teen may have had his back to the shooter, or he could have been facing the shooter with his hands above his head or in a defensive position in front of his face.

“But we don’t know,” Mr Parcells said.

Mr Baden said he had found no evidence of an alleged struggle between Brown and the officer, who is said to have been hurt in the incident, but added that he had not examined the policeman.

Police threaten journalist at Ferguson protest Ferguson cop threatens journalist on live stream from protest.

The absence of gunpowder on Brown’s body indicated that the muzzle of the gun could have been as close as a foot or two away, or 30 feet away, he added.

The respected former New York City chief medical examiner stressed his findings were preliminary and that he needed to see X-rays taken by local coroners just before the bullets were removed from Brown’s corpse.

Meanwhile, a source close to the loca police investigation told the Washington Post that Brown had marijuana in his system at the time of his death.

NATIONAL GUARD SENT TO FERGUSON

Brown’s death on a sidewalk in broad daylight on August 9 prompted often violent protests in Ferguson, which has an African-American majority but a mainly white police force.

US National Guard troops have begun deploying in Ferguson on Monday after the governor lifted a curfew imposed in response to the protests.

“With these additional resources in place, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and local law enforcement will continue to respond appropriately to incidents of lawlessness and violence, and protect the civil rights of all peaceful citizens to make their voices heard,” Governor Jay Nixon said in a statement on Monday.

“We will not use a curfew tonight.”

Three autopsies are underway: one by St Louis County authorities, another by the Brown family and a third by the US federal government, which is investigating possible civil rights violations.

Mr Parks said the autopsy supported “what witnesses said about him trying to surrender, that he had his head in a downward position”.

Mr Parks said: “The officer needs to be arrested. Why would (Brown) be shot in the very top of his head? A 6-foot-4 man, it makes no sense.”

Another family attorney Benjamin Crump, who had previously called the killing “an execution” said the family wanted the additional autopsy because they feared results of the county’s examination could be biased. Mr Crump declined to release copies of the report to the media, and the county’s autopsy report has not been released.

“They could not trust what was going to be put in the reports about the tragic execution of their child,” he said during Monday’s news conference with Mr Parcells and Mr Baden. “It verifies that the witness accounts were true: that he was shot multiple times.”

He said Brown’s mother “had the question any mother would have: Was my child in pain. Dr Baden shared with her in his opinion, he did not suffer.” He also noted that Brown had abrasions on his face from where he fell to the ground, but “otherwise no evidence of a struggle.”