Cop shoots guy in the back??

[Tmall]

Has this been posted yet?

It's fucked up. Nws. I don't know if the guy died. But, if so. It's definitely murder in my eyes..

http://www.nothingtoxic.com/media/12..._is_so_Screwed

[BICH]

ooooppps!

[CrazyKell]

Honestly I can't even see what happened in that video. I can't even tell which one got shot.

[Tmall]

Originally Posted by CrazyKell

Honestly I can't even see what happened in that video. I can't even tell which one got shot.

From what I've read about it. They were trying to arrest that guy and the cop says he mistakenly drew his gun thinking it was his tazer and fired into his back.

[Tmall]

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Video_...ying_0105.html

First thing google popped up.

[pauldun170]

Spokesman: Officer in subway shooting has resigned

* Story Highlights
* NEW: Officer's attorney, union representative give his letter of resignation
* Prosecutor: Office investigating "mental state" of officer accused in killing
* Spokesman says Johannes Mehserle has been moved twice because of threats
* Video shows officer shoot Grant in back as another officer kneels on him

(CNN) -- The officer involved in a New Year's Day shooting that left a passenger dead in a crowded Oakland, California, subway station resigned Wednesday, a Bay Area Rapid Transit spokesman said.

BART spokesman Linton Johnson said in a statement that the officer's attorney and his union representative submitted the resignation at a meeting Wednesday morning with BART police investigators. The officer was going to be at the meeting but did not show up, Johnson said.

The resignation was effective immediately.

Shortly before the funeral for the passenger, 22-year-old Oscar Grant, Johnson said the officer had received death threats.

The BART officer fatally shot Grant in the back after he and some friends were pulled from a train car following a report of an altercation, according to a BART statement.

On Tuesday, attorney John Burris filed a $25 million claim with BART in which he identified the officer as Johannes Mehserle. Several local media outlets had already identified the officer.

Burris alleges in the claim, "Without so much as flinching the Officer Mehserle stood over Grant and mercilessly fired his weapon, mortally wounding Mr. Grant with a single gunshot wound to the back." VideoWatch the events preceding the shooting »

Johnson said Mehserle's attorney -- reportedly David E. Mastagni of Sacramento -- has advised him not to speak to investigators. Nor has Mehserle made any public statements. Calls and e-mails to Mastagni's office Tuesday and Wednesday were not returned.

Johnson also said the officer had been moved at least twice because of death threats to him and his family.

CNN affiliate KTVU-TV in Oakland obtained videos of the incident and its prelude. One video, which KTVU reported came from a train passenger who wished not to be identified, shows three young men against a wall in the Fruitvale station.

Burris told CNN on Tuesday that the young men had been celebrating the new year at a popular waterfront tourist spot, The Embarcadero. They were heading home when police pulled them from the train car about 2 a.m.

Some of the young men were handcuffed, but not 22-year-old Oscar Grant. The video from the anonymous passenger shows Grant seated on the floor with his back against the wall.

Grant holds up his hands, appearing to plead with police. Burris said Tuesday that Grant was asking police not to use a Taser.

"He said to them, 'Don't Tase me; I have a 4-year-old daughter,' " Burris said.

The interaction on the video is not audible.

Seconds later, police put Grant face-down on the ground. Grant appears to struggle. One of the officers kneels on Grant as another officer stands, tugs at his gun, unholsters it and fires a shot into Grant's back.

Burris said the bullet went through Grant's back and then ricocheted off the floor and through his lungs.

Grant died seven hours later at a hospital, KTVU reported.

In Wednesday's statement about Mehserle's resignation, BART General Manager Dorothy Dugger said that the "shooting is a tragic event in every respect for all involved."

"We recognize that the family and friends of Oscar Grant are in mourning, and we extend our condolences," she said.

Johnson has said Mehserle is devastated and is presumed innocent. He also says that the videos making the media rounds are inconclusive and that there is more to the story than what can be seen on the grainy images.

There are two surveillance cameras at the Fruitvale station, but a BART official told CNN on Tuesday that no video is being released at this time.

Burris called the shooting "unconscionable" and said the $25 million claim alleges wrongful death and violation of civil rights by use of excessive force. Read the claim (PDF)

BART has 45 days to respond, he said. If the authority rejects the claim, he will file a civil lawsuit, said Burris, who served as Rodney King's co-counsel in King's civil case against the Los Angeles Police Department in the 1990s.

Burris has spoken to witnesses who claim that Grant was trying to resolve the situation.

"He had been telling people to calm down. 'Be cool. Just do what they tell you to do,' " the attorney said.

Johnson told KTVU that authorities are trying to determine whether the officer who shot Grant accidentally drew his gun instead of his Taser.

Burris said he is pushing Alameda County District Attorney Tom Orloff to press second-degree murder charges, or involuntary manslaughter charges if evidence suggests that Mehserle mistook his gun for a Taser, he said.

"No one wants to believe a cop would just kill somebody like that," he said. "My view is, this is criminal conduct, period."

Orloff said Wednesday that his investigation will focus primarily on what led to the shooting.

Some homicides are lawful, he noted. In this case, Orloff said, "the part that needs dissecting is what, if anything, can be determined about the mental state of the actor," meaning the officer.

There are many possibilities, he said: His office could find no basis for criminal charges; the office could file involuntary manslaughter charges if Mehserle exercised gross negligence, voluntary manslaughter if Mehserle reasonably believed that he was acting in self-defense or murder if Mehserle acted with malice and forethought.

"Our function is to determine whether or not criminal charges should be filed against the officer," he said. "These things are usually an issue of weeks rather than days."

BART Police Chief Gary Gee released a statement this week expressing condolences for Grant's family and saying the authority is cooperating with Orloff's office.

Gee added that BART will complete an "unbiased and thorough investigation" and asked the public to be patient.

In the statement, Johnson said the officer's attorney had postponed a meeting with investigators Monday and on Tuesday asked for a delay until next week. That request was denied, and the Wednesday meeting was scheduled.

Johnson told CNN on Wednesday that it could take weeks for BART to complete its investigation.

"As frustrating as it is, I want to stress that we cannot and will not jeopardize this case by discussing details before the investigation is complete," Gee said.

BART said in a statement Sunday that the officer had been on the force two years. He had on administrative leave, which is standard procedure, according to BART.

[CrazyKell]

Wow! Well from watching the video I don't really see the struggle that much.

Obviously we weren't there and there's more to this story than what you can see in the video.

I know cops are human and can make mistakes just like any of us can BUT (and this is a huge but).....shouldn't a cop know the difference between his gun and his taser if for nothing more than his own protection?

[Digifox]

Originally Posted by Tmall

From what I've read about it. They were trying to arrest that guy and the cop says he mistakenly drew his gun thinking it was his tazer and fired into his back.

Thats what i was going to say, cuz his face was like *Holy fucking shit* after he fired it......



Poor Dumb Fuck...
First day he gets a gun in place of his Tazer he goes and shoots someone.


IDC if it was an accident or not, he should be a Rent-a-Cop that only carries mace. really now if he gets that confused with something like that.....

[RACER X]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28658575

The Alameda County District Attorney's Office said it filed murder charges against a former Bay Area transit officer in the shooting death of an unarmed black man.

District Attorney Tom Orloff said the murder charge was filed against 27-year-old Johannes Mehserle because the evidence indicates "an unlawful killing done by an intentional act" and that there was no evidence available yet that could "mitigate" that.

Oakland police said Wednesday that Mehserle was arrested in Douglas County, Nevada on Tuesday in connection with the shooting of Oscar Grant III at the Fruitvale BART station in Oakland on Jan. 1.

Officers said Mehserle waived an extradition hearing in Nevada, and is being transported to the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.

"This investigation shows that no one is above the law, but everyone is entitled to due process of the law," said BART Board President Thomas Blalock said. "BART investigated this shooting thoroughly and treated the investigation and information no differently because the suspect involved was a police officer. Now we have to let due process take its course."

Orloff said Mehserle could be arraigned as early as Thursday.

Nevada authorities arrested Mehserle after learning the Alameda County District Attorney's Office had issued a warrant for his arrest for homicide, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.

Oakland police provided the sheriff's office information Tuesday morning that Mehserle was in the Zephyr Cove area of Lake Tahoe, Nev., the sheriff's office reported.

After receiving confirmation that an arrest warrant had been issued, authorities contacted Mehserle's attorney, who in turn called Mehserle.

Mehserle left a home at 1007 Skyland Drive in Zephyr Cove and surrendered to sheriff's officials without incident at about 6:20 p.m., the sheriff's office reported.

"We want the public to know that this one incident is not reflective of BART, its police or its employees," BART General Manager Dorothy Dugger said. "I have great confidence in the professionalism of the BART Police Department. This was a tragic event in which a life was lost for which someone has been arrested and charged."

He was booked into the Douglas County Sheriff's Office main jail in Minden, according to the sheriff's office.

He had been kept in a segregated area of the facility and is on a precautionary health and welfare watch, according to the sheriff's office.

The shooting at the Fruitvale station in Oakland occurred shortly after 2 a.m. on Jan. 1 when Mehserle and other officers stopped a train at the station in Oakland after receiving reports that two groups of men were fighting on the train.

The shooting, which is under investigation by multiple agencies, has prompted protests in the Bay Area, including a violent demonstration last week in Oakland.

The attorney representing Mehserle said he is confident his client will be cleared of all charges against him.

Mehserle was arrested Tuesday in Nevada and has been charged with murder by the Alameda County District Attorney's office for the shooting of Oscar Grant III at the Fruitvale BART station in Oakland around 2 a.m. on Jan. 1.

"We're going to contest those charges vigorously," Mehserle's attorney Christopher Miller said at a news conference at his office in Sacramento this afternoon.

Miller declined to comment on the facts of the case, saying that his client has a right to a fair trial, and that he does not want to try the case in the media.

Mehserle was arrested Tuesday night in the South Lake Tahoe area, where he had taken his family to get away from the pressure in the Bay Area surrounding the investigation, Miller said.

Mehserle also left because he had received several death threats, Miller said.

He remained in communication with Miller and the Oakland Police Department while he was away and was not attempting to avoid arrest, Miller said.

Mehserle surrendered to authorities as soon as he was notified that a warrant had been issued for his arrest, Miller said.

He had been with BART police for two years and was "a fine officer with an excellent work history," Miller said.

Mehserle waived an extradition hearing in Douglas County, Nev. this morning and has been transferred to Santa Rita Jail in Alameda County. He will likely be arraigned Thursday morning, Miller said.

Alameda County Sheriff's Sgt. J.D. Nelson said Mehserle arrived at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin around 2 p.m.

Nelson did not have details about Mehserle's long trip from Nevada but said Mehserle was "very quiet" and cooperative as he was booked, fingerprinted, searched and given a psychological evaluation and a single phone call.

Because Mehserle is a former police officer and the case is so high-profile, he was placed in protective custody and will have his own cell, Nelson said.

The sheriff's office is working with the courts to set an arraignment date, Nelson said.

Nearly 1,000 people gathered in the plaza in front of Oakland City Hall Wednesday night to protest the shooting death of Grant.

Speakers at the rally said they're glad that Mehserle, who resigned last week, has been arrested and charged with murder for the shooting death of Grant, a 22-year-old Hayward man, when Mehserle and other officers responded to reports that two groups of men were fighting on a BART train.

But they said they're still keeping a close eye on the legal system so that justice is done for Grant's death.

Bishop Keith Clark of the Word Assembly Church in Oakland opened the program by saying, "We come seeking justice" and "arrest isn't justice but conviction is."

Clark said, "We come knocking on the door of our legal system" and added "you must prosecute this man."

However, Clark also asked the protesters to be peaceful, saying, "We ask God that you will give us a peaceful protest."

Oakland City Councilwoman Desley Brooks, who led a group of dozens of community members who met with Alameda County District Attorney Tom Orloff last week to urge that Mehserle be prosecuted, said, "I have no confidence in the district attorney and I will watch him every step of the way."

She said the charges against Mehserle "should have happened two weeks ago."

But Brooks also urged the protesters to remain peaceful, telling the crowd, "Let's not give the media the spectacle they want to see."

Dereka Blackmon, the co-founder of Citizens Against Police Executions (CAPE) and one of the rally's organizers, said Grant's mother, Wanda Johnson sent her greetings and said "have peace in the name of my son."

Blackmon said, "All of the (Grant) family is watching today" to make sure that the protest doesn't become violent, as did a protest last week.

Blackmon said, "There are Oscar Grants all over the country" who have been shot and killed by police officers and said there are similar protests in 15 other cities across the country today.

"Let Oscar Grant be the beginning of the end of police brutality," she said.

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, who was booed by a small number of people in the crowd, said, "Let's come together to bring real change because thousands of young people of color across the country are dying."

Dellums told the crowd, "Change is necessary and you have that power."

Oakland Police Chief Wayne Tucker, chief of staff Sgt. Michael Poirier and police spokesman Jeff Thomason were among many police officers who watched the speeches outside City Hall.

After the speeches ended, protesters marched down 14th Street toward the plaza in front of the Alameda County Administration Building, which is located on Oak Street between 12th and 13th streets near Lake Merritt.

Oakland police officers and Alameda County Sheriff's deputies are in riot gear to guard buildings in the area.

Oakland officials say they hope the protest remains peaceful but they fear the possibility that it could grow violent after dark.

On 17th Street, the site of much damage from last week's protest, shop owners stood on the sidewalk, talking amongst themselves and watching police circulate on bicycles. Roughly half the windows in a three-block stretch were boarded.

Gertha Hayes, owner A Diva's Closet at 383 17th St., said she was spared damage because her storefront has a sliding, metal gate.

Still, Hayes made a last-minute decision to close early.

"Since everyone else is closing, I don't want to be the only victim," she said.

The store has a sign in the window that says "Shattered glass, but not shattered dreams!"

"I don't think we'll be too crazy tonight," she said.

Hayes thinks the anger has "dampened" because of Mehserle's arrest.

Next door, Stepping Out shoe boutique owner Shari Wooldridge said she will remain open because she also has a sliding gate.

Wooldridge also predicted a quieter night because the street is removed from City Hall and BART headquarters, however 17th Street was not in the direct path of last week's protest.

[ericr]

It was probably accidental since the guy was struggling with the cops but the cop should have had his firearm holstered at that point. That police dept. is gonna pay out a lot of $$ in a lawsuit.