More details spill out by the day on the shooting by the off-duty city officer of the unarmed former Marine during a dispute outside a Mount Vernon bar. Today we learn that the victim, Tyrone Brown, may have had his hands in the air when Officer Gahiji A. Tshamba shot him nine times.

Also, police sources tell us that Brown's shirt had a heat imprint from the muzzle blast of the gun, indicating one or more of the shots could've been fired from as close as 5 inches away (Tshamba is at left, in a WBAL-TV photo).

Detectives have interviewed seven key witnesses -- three who were with the officer and say he identified himself as a cop and that Brown shoved him after Brown patted the officer's female companion on the rear end. Two were with the victim and say Brown apologized and tried to walk away but Tshamba wouldn't let him. Two others described as independent backed the latter version of events. And police sources say that evdience found at the scene, including shell casings, are inconsistent with the events as described by the officer's friends.

It's unusual to have this much detail in an unfolding case. But cops are leaking like crazy because they hear angry public sentiment over why prosecutors haven't yet charged Tshamba with a crime. They also seem to believe that this is one of the worst police-involved shootings they've seen in a long, long time.

Brown's funeral is Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Morgan State University's auditorium. By then, maybe they'll be an arrest and charges. Prosecutors are hanging tough, saying they want an air-tight case before moving foward.

Part of this is a continuing fight between Jessamy and police that has gone back years to the O'Malley administration. Who can forget when Jessamy dropped charges against a city cop accused of planting evidence on an innocent man? O'Malley fumed in a profanity-laced tirade while Jessamy complained that the police investigation had failed.

They don't want a repeat.