Bart Police Shooting In Oakland

[GeneralGeeWhiz 0]

I just want to share this story with anyone who hasn't heard. When the Policeman who is on trial for murder stemming from this incident is found not guilty (which it looks like what will happen) you are going to see riots in Oakland on the level of Rodney King or worse. Please don't bring racism into this thread. It's a sad story.

Police Fatally Shoot Man At Oakland BART StationOAKLAND (CBS 5 / KCBS / AP / BCN) ―A 22-year-old man died Thursday after being shot on an Oakland train station platform by a transit agency police officer responding to reports of fighting on an arriving train, officials said.The Bay Area Rapid Transit officer's gun went off while police were trying to restrain 22-year-old Oscar Grant at BART's Fruitvale station on East 12th Street around 2:15 a.m., agency spokesman Jim Allison said.Grant was taken to to Highland Hospital -- where he later died from his wounds at 9:13 a.m., according to Mike Yost, supervising coroner investigator with the Alameda County coroner's bureau.Authorities said they were still investigating whether the gun was fired on purpose or accidentally."It's clear that it was a volatile situation with young men who were arguing and in fact had continued to argue even in the presence of multiple police officers," Allison said.Five officers had gathered on the platform as the train arrived from San Francisco following reports that two groups of men were fighting on the train near the West Oakland station two stops earlier, officials said.The men continued to yell at each other after the Dublin/Pleasanton-bound train stopped, and police were in the process of separating the men when the bullet struck Grant, Allison said.No one involved in the alleged fighting was arrested following the shooting, although two men were detained for questioning and later released. Police shut down the Fruitvale station until about 2:50 a.m. to collect physical evidence after the incident.Officials have not publicly identified the officer, who has served on the force for just under two years.The officer was placed on standard administrative leave as authorities investigate whether proper police procedures had been followed and whether the shooting was a crime, Allison said.The shooting was being investigated by the East Bay Regional Parks police, who indicated that their probe was on-going.

[grocery_mony 9]

Look at the brightside there will be alot of construction jobs created to rebuild Oakland when they burn it to the ground. Just get out of town for a couple weeks when the verdict comes down. Yea I saw this story when it happened and it was brutal.

[GeneralGeeWhiz 0]

Look at the brightside there will be alot of construction jobs created to rebuild Oakland when they burn it to the ground. Just get out of town for a couple weeks when the verdict comes down. Yea I saw this story when it happened and it was brutal.

lol so bad but funny. :)i hope nothing really bad happens. I do live in Los Altos/Cupertino, about 55 miles south of oakland. super rich spoiled people area.

[CrookedLink 0]

Only heard about this when it first happened but haven't kept up with what's happened.What the hell is the cop's defense? How the hell do you just shoot someone like that without wanting to?

[GeneralGeeWhiz 0]

Only heard about this when it first happened but haven't kept up with what's happened.What the hell is the cop's defense? How the hell do you just shoot someone like that without wanting to?

the cop claimed that he thought it was his tazer the whole time

[DrawingDeadInDM 0]

Only heard about this when it first happened but haven't kept up with what's happened.What the hell is the cop's defense? How the hell do you just shoot someone like that without wanting to?

What's his defense..? Uh, duh..."Stupid bastard wouldn't calm down when he saw a police presence and when I gripped my weapon he continued at me and I defended myself.." Here's your sign.. DON'T FIGHT THE COPSStupid ass.

[navybuttons 16]

i'll be in berkeley. if it comes up here i'll get my pogo stick. i wonder if anyone would mess with the crazy white kid pogo sticking through the riot screaming about physics and god.but most likely if tensions get hot before the trial i'll just head to santa cruz.

[king_tanner 84]

but most likely if tensions get hot before the trial i'll just head to santa cruz.

plz no. already enough hippies/tourists here. Do not come here I am not friendly.

[navybuttons 16]

plz no. already enough hippies/tourists here. Do not come here I am not friendly.

i go about once a week. i take dumps on different lawns every time i go.

[timwakefield 69]

the cop claimed that he thought it was his tazer the whole time

So...it's a ridiculously clear case of manslaughter in whatever degree. The lawyer in the youtube link expressed my exact sentiments when he says "Why did he draw his gun???" 'Oops I thought it was my tazer, sorry.' No, that man should go to jail. It looks like a fucking execution.BTW what's your source on the tazer scenario, or is that just speculation? EDIT: found it - Defense: BART Shooting Cop Meant To Use TaserFriday, January 30, 2009 – updated: 6:37 pm PST January 30, 2009OAKLAND, Calif. -- The former BART police officer accused of fatally shooting an unarmed man on a transit station platform told a fellow officer moments before firing his gun that he was going to discharge his Taser, according to a document released Friday.Johannes Mehserle, 27, was ordered Friday to be held on $3 million bail on charges that he shot Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old Hayward man, in the back while Grant was lying face down on the ground at the Fruitvale station platform after police responded to reports that there had been a fight on a train.Mehserle remains in jail Friday evening and has not posted bail contrary to an earlier statement released by the office of Oakland's mayor, an Alameda County sheriff's spokesman said.Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums' office issued a statement earlier Friday stating that Mehserle had been released from Santa Rita Jail in Dublin after posting bail, but sheriff's Sgt. J.D. Nelson said Mehserle remains in custody.At the hearing, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Morris Jacobson said that he set a high bail of $3 million for former the former BART police officer because he thinks Mehserle gave an "inconsistent story" about why he shot and killed Oscar Grant III at the Fruitvale station in Oakland early New Year's Day.Jacobson said it appears to him that Mehserle, who is charged with murder in connection with the highly publicized incident, wanted to "make up a story to avoid the consequences of his actions."At a packed hearing that lasted nearly an hour, Jacobson said Mehserle told fellow BART police officers that he was going to use a Taser on Grant, a 22-year-old Hayward man, but after Mehserle shot Grant he told a colleague, "I thought he had a gun."The judge said Mehserle's statements "seem to be inconsistent" because if Mehserle truly believed that Grant had a gun then Mehserle would have been justified to pull out his gun and use deadly force and wouldn't have needed to use his Taser.Jacobson said that because he believes Mehserle hasn't been totally forthcoming about his actions he has "a lack of trust at promises that he will appear for future court hearings."Before Jacobson ruled on Mehserle's bail motion, the former officer's attorney, Michael Rains, said that the shooting was "a tragic accident" and Mehserle only intended to use his Taser.Rains said he thinks Mehserle should only be charged with involuntary manslaughter and consequently his bail should only be $30,000, which is the standard bail for that lesser charge.In a draft of the bail appeal released Friday, Rains said that Mehserle told Officer Anthony Pirone he was "going to taze Grant and [yelled] at Pirone to 'get back.'"Pirone told investigators, the document revealed, that Mehserle told Grant to -- "Put your hands behind your back, stop resisting, stop resisting, put your hands behind your back."He then said: "I'm going to taze him. I'm going to taze him. I can't get his arms."Several of the witness quoted in the bail document corroborate the difficult struggle officers were having getting Grant to remove his hands from in front of his stomach before hearing the "pop" of the fired shot.Pirone told investigators Mehserle then stood up and said: "Tony, Tony, get away, back up, back up."Mehserle was armed with both a Taser and a handgun. He then allegedly drew the handgun and shot Grant once. According to the court documents submitted by Rains, Mehserle had attended a six-hour training class in use of the X-26 Taser and passed the user certification test on December 3, 2008.In the document, Rains notes the short amount of time – less than a month – that had passed since the certification and the shooting incident and estimates that Mehserle had likely only carried the department-approved Taser somewhere between eight and twelve shifts before the New Year's Day shooting.The bail document later asserts that "the bulk of the discovery, including witness and officer statements, seem to indicate that this young officer, who carried a taser for only a few shifts prior to this event, may have mistakenly deployed his service pistol rather than his taser, thus negating any criminal intent."Mehserle -- who resigned the week after the shooting incident that provoked widespread outrage and protests -- has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.With emotions in the community still simmering, authorities increased security at the courthouse as Mehserle's made his appearance before Alameda County Superior Court Judge Morris Jacobson. A group in the hallway outside could clearly be heard chanting "We are Oscar Grant. We are Oscar Grant."The group of protesters marched through the streets of Oakland after the bail hearing, at one point congregating at the intersection of 14th Street and Broadway, stopping traffic and clambering on top of an AC Transit bus. Though there were reports of one arrest by early evening, police seemed to have the streets under control as night fell.Former San Francisco District Attorney Jim Hammer predicted the bail would be set somewhere between $1 million and $3 million before the hearing. "In a run of the mill murder case, there is generally bail -- $2 to $3 million," Hammer said.Hammer added that the bail hearing was just the beginning of a lengthy legal journey. With several cell phone videos having been broadcast of the shooting, the potential jury pool may have already been tainted."It's a real nightmare not just for the judge but for the DA also," Hammer said. "If you look back at the most recent case -- the Rodney King beating trial -- you have video of alleged police misconduct played over and over. What that means is that the jurors in Oakland probably have already made up their minds about it.""The defense will make a motion to move it [the trial] out of the hothouse atmosphere here in Oakland and Alameda County," he added.Hammer said the trial could be reassigned almost anywhere in the state, including communities where the racially charged nature of the case may be an issue. Grant was black and Mehserle is white."That would be bad news for the prosecutor," he said.Copyright 2009 by KTVU.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[El Guapo 10]

i go about once a week. i take dumps on different lawns every time i go.

This made me laugh more than it should.The area that would be affected by rioting in Oakland, nobody cares about anyway. Probably could use it.

[timwakefield 69]

"Stupid bastard wouldn't calm down when he saw a police presence and when I gripped my weapon he continued at me and I defended myself.."

Um, did you even watch the video? "When I gripped my weapon he continued at me?" Nevermind about the earlier question, it's plain to see that you did not watch the video because that is not at all what happened in the slightest. The suspect was down on the ground on his face being restrained by 2 officers with a 3rd looking on. There was some kind of struggle but the suspect is still clearly restrained on his chest and is certainly not "continuing at" anybody in any sense of anything. He is on the ground, with an officer sitting on his back. Whether or not use of a taser was justified or necessary is certainly a major factor (if indeed the officer thought he had drawn his taser), but there was absolutely no call for the use of deadly force. The officer was not defending his life or anybody else's. The suspect is also seen prior to his attempted cuffing kneeling with his hands up, complying with the officers. Like, really. It is an unarmed suspect, 3 police apparently attempt to cuff him, he struggles, one of them stands up, pulls his gun out, and shoots the suspect dead. It's horrifying.

[HollywoodAFD 0]

the cop claimed that he thought it was his tazer the whole time

This is exactly what I thought when I watched the video.... It was a rookie cop and he was flustered...thought he grabbed his taser (which didn't look like he even needed that) What makes you think the officer is going to be found not guilty?I guess it depends on what they are trying to charge him with. If they go with 1st degree murder... a good lawyer could get him off ...even with manslaughter they could get him off by claiming "heat of the moment' or some crap like that. It's pretty clear that if the jury sees the video...the cop shot him... and had no reason to even pull his gun."I thought it was my taser gun" isn't going to be good enough. Sure...it was an accident but a guy is dead because of your accident and you have to pay for it.I've said it before... I will never be beaten or tasered or shot by a cop because if a situation ever arises that I'm being questioned...I'm on the ground with my hands behind my back without saying a word. Not one word.... not one movement to make them think I'm going for a weapon.... nothing.

[king_tanner 84]

i go about once a week. i take dumps on different lawns every time i go.

Yeah well I don't even have a lawn.... SO THERE

[brvheart 1,768]

Um, did you even watch the video? "When I gripped my weapon he continued at me?" Nevermind about the earlier question, it's plain to see that you did not watch the video because that is not at all what happened in the slightest. The suspect was down on the ground on his face being restrained by 2 officers with a 3rd looking on. There was some kind of struggle but the suspect is still clearly restrained on his chest and is certainly not "continuing at" anybody in any sense of anything. He is on the ground, with an officer sitting on his back. Whether or not use of a taser was justified or necessary is certainly a major factor (if indeed the officer thought he had drawn his taser), but there was absolutely no call for the use of deadly force. The officer was not defending his life or anybody else's. The suspect is also seen prior to his attempted cuffing kneeling with his hands up, complying with the officers. Like, really. It is an unarmed suspect, 3 police apparently attempt to cuff him, he struggles, one of them stands up, pulls his gun out, and shoots the suspect dead. It's horrifying.

If the guy was face down on the ground with two officers trying to restrain him... wouldn't the officers have been SUPER pissed at a 3rd cop firing bullets towards them? Him thinking it was a tazer makes sense, because there is no way in hell he would be shooting at his partners that were engaged in a wrestling match with the guy.

[phlegm 6]

Anyone know the race of the shooter?

[GeneralGeeWhiz 0]

Anyone know the race of the shooter?

i forgot his name, but at first he looked mexican, I think he is white tho.

[phlegm 6]

I hate the factthat it comes to this, but any non black dude that puts there life on the line for the kinda animals that live i oakland should be in jail anyway.

[GeneralGeeWhiz 0]

I hate the factthat it comes to this, but any non black dude that puts there life on the line for the kinda animals that live i oakland should be in jail anyway.

[ ] that makes sense

[navybuttons 16]

The group of protesters marched through the streets of Oakland after the bail hearing, at one point congregating at the intersection of 14th Street and Broadway, stopping traffic and clambering on top of an AC Transit bus. Though there were reports of one arrest by early evening, police seemed to have the streets under control as night fell.

So that's what was going on. 14th and Broadway is my Bart exit, but that night I was driving back from the marijuana dispensary when I saw cops lined up in riot gear. "hey," i said to my girlfriend, "that's my bart exit.""not anymore," she said. oh she's so cute.

[timwakefield 69]

If the guy was face down on the ground with two officers trying to restrain him... wouldn't the officers have been SUPER pissed at a 3rd cop firing bullets towards them? Him thinking it was a tazer makes sense, because there is no way in hell he would be shooting at his partners that were engaged in a wrestling match with the guy.

Read the story I posted, apparently the reason that the bail was set so high was because they were getting conflicting stories. There was a report that the officer said he thought the suspect had a gun. If it does turn out that he meant to use his taser then I would guess that the next question is whether he was justified in using that weapon. I actually have massive respect for police (I didn't necessarily used to), but this story is just sad. I'm not even sure how much better it is if he meant to draw his taser - the officer made a horrible mental error of some sort, either mistaking one weapon for another, or mistakenly seeing a gun on the suspect, or pulling his gun and mistakenly pulling the trigger, whatever.

[brvheart 1,768]

Read the story I posted, apparently the reason that the bail was set so high was because they were getting conflicting stories. There was a report that he said he thought the suspect had a gun. If it does turn out that he meant to use his taser then I would guess that the next question is whether he was justified in using that weapon. I actually have massive respect for police (I didn't necessarily used to), but this story is just sad. I'm not even sure how much better it is if he meant to draw his taser - the officer made a horrible mental error of some sort, either mistaking one weapon for another, or mistakenly seeing a gun on the suspect, or pulling his gun and mistakenly pulling the trigger, whatever.

I agree it sucks that someone died, but the shooter was only a cop for 2 years... it was a very stressful situation and he very well may have thought the guy had a gun which is why he was going for his tazer. Who knows what happened, but hopefully the dude doesn't go to jail for an error. That would suck. If he shot him on purpose (which I don't think is possible as I stated in my last post) then the guy deserves to rot in prison forever, obv.

[Ron_Mexico 4,238]

What's his defense..? Uh, duh..."Stupid bastard wouldn't calm down when he saw a police presence and when I gripped my weapon he continued at me and I defended myself.." Here's your sign.. DON'T FIGHT THE COPSStupid ass.

without watching or reading anything else, this is my standard response to morons that get beat up by cops. Do what the cop says and usually bad things wont happen to you. Obviously there are bad apples on every force, but most get that way for a reason, from dealing with animals all the time that just won't listen.

Johannes Mehserle, 27, was ordered Friday to be held on $3 million bail on charges that he shot Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old Hayward man, in the back while Grant was lying face down on the ground at the Fruitvale station platform after police responded to reports that there had been a fight on a train.

...but this ain't good for the cop

[Ron_Mexico 4,238]

I agree it sucks that someone died, but the shooter was only a cop for 2 years... it was a very stressful situation and he very well may have thought the guy had a gun which is why he was going for his tazer.

you don't tase a guy with a gun, you end him

[timwakefield 69]

I agree it sucks that someone died, but the shooter was only a cop for 2 years... it was a very stressful situation and he very well may have thought the guy had a gun which is why he was going for his tazer. Who knows what happened, but hopefully the dude doesn't go to jail for an error. That would suck. If he shot him on purpose (which I don't think is possible as I stated in my last post) then the guy deserves to rot in prison forever, obv.

I don't think he had any intent to murder the suspect a la Jack Bauer, but if he was criminally negligent or whatever then he should be punished. It seems the very least he is guilty of is involuntary manslaughter.EDIT: The judge said that the inconsistency was that if the suspect had a gun and was trying to use it (or if the officer believed he did), then the officer would pull his own gun, not his taser.