Choices:

It occurs to me that the choices Mike Brown (the "Gentle Giant") made that fateful day were what led up to his demise.

He chose to steal cigars:

He chose to push the shopkeeper around:

He chose to walk down the middle of the street, attracting attention to himself:

He chose NOT to move to the sidewalk when asked by Officer Darren Wilson:

He chose to fight with Officer Wilson:

He chose to ignore the orders to stop:

He chose to turn around and confront Officer Wilson:

He chose to ignore another order to stop and get on the ground:

Witnesses (credible ones) corroborate the story. 

He made all those decisions. The result was his death. He could have stopped the chain at any time by making better choices.