BART officer fatally shoots unarmed man in the back

A BART police officer struggling to handcuff a 22-year-old man, stood up over the facedown Hayward resident and fired a single shot into his back while a handful of officers watched, a video taken by a train passenger apparently shows.

The attorney for the family of Oscar Grant III, fatally shot by an unidentified BART officer early New Years Day, said Sunday he plans to file a $25 million lawsuit against the department and asked prosecutors to consider filing murder charges against the officer.

The shooting occurred shortly before 2 a.m. Thursday after five officers responded to the Fruitvale station to reports of a fight on a train, officials said, though they have not confirmed whether Grant
was involved in the fight.

The new video, obtained by television station KTVU, shows two officers restraining a struggling suspect. While the man is lying face down on the ground, one officer appears to be seen pulling out a gun and firing a single shot into his back.

Civil rights attorney John Burris, known for his work in several high-profile cases involving police abuse and corruption, said at a Sunday news conference that the shooting was the most unconscionable shooting he has ever seen. He said that the Alameda County district attorney should consider filing charges of second degree murder or manslaughter against the officer.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• BART
• officer
• fatally
• shoots
• unarmed
• man
• in
• the
• back

[jlevasseur06]

Always with the name calling. You don't know the man, you can't judge. Those names allow you to not think of him as a human, he becomes something less than that, not fair at all. I'm talking about the N word comments, by the way.

Family of this victim, please don't tell the media about any law suits. They put it right out there and people jump at it, saying that's all you care about. Keep those things private, no one else needs to know that. I'm very sorry for your loss.

[TheSpartacat]

Well said

[Plutonwolf]

This one is inexcusable. This was a cold blooded execution.

[romeosevendelta]

Let's be fair here; Oscar Grant was probably just some little gang banger shitball of almost NO consequence to the world what so ever. Let's not forget that two firearms were collected from him and his buddies. HOWEVER, this is still completely reprehensible. This is AMERICA, god damn it! We like our criminals tried and, if proven guilty, convicted. NOT SUMMARILY EXECUTED on the spot! Mehserle needs life in prison. There's enough evidence here for one of the shortest trials we've ever had.

[ssn708]

@TheInnerLoop He was not handcuffed, and that is a fact. He was scared? Bullshit, he assaulted 2 cops, and was taking pictures of them. mocking them. Did he deserve to die? Of course not, and Mehserle was criminally negligent and deserves prison time. But Grant was not handcuffed, he assaulted police (as did his friend) and resisted arrest. Bad things happen when you force a cop (already not the brightest bulb on the tree) to react to you. Don't put yourself in that position.

[HELPTHEHOMELESS32]

POLICE = CRIMINAL TERRORISTS - police = criminal terrorists - POLICE = CRIMINAL TERRORISTS - police = criminal terrorists - POLICE = CRIMINAL TERRORISTS - police = criminal terrorists - POLICE = CRIMINAL TERRORISTS - police = criminal terrorists - POLICE = CRIMINAL TERRORISTS - police = criminal terrorists - POLICE = CRIMINAL TERRORISTS - police = criminal terrorists - POLICE = CRIMINAL TERRORISTS - police = criminal terrorists - POLICE = CRIMINAL TERRORISTS - police = criminal terrorists

[SoHxLoyal]

lick nutts lucky charms...

[omfgitstanya]

:( rest in peace babiboi.

[featherian]

shut the fuck up pig. brainless moron .

i wish to see you back stabber head .

chicken cops ,could not resist to shoot someone in the back cause its easy and not require any balls like you lucky charms brainless keyboarder moron .

looking to get attention cause mentally affected by all those chemtrails and fluoride water .

but its not excuse for being a moron

[LuckyCharmsLep]

Go to hell Oscar Grant....family too

[mezzer99]

Clearly there was no justification for the shooting, I don't see that anyone could claim there was. Is he going to claim that he meant to use his taser and pulled his sidearm in mistake?

[gwargordon]

death penalty for sure. there is no doubt of that officers guilt. my prayers go out to mr. grants family.

[bobgnote]

Obama fronted deregulated energy until Debate 3, 10/15/2008. He said they were 'robbing us of our wealth,' but he let McCain and Joe W. claim offices and measures! A $100K toolbag floated, Granny Maddie died and said B.O. is Kenyan, and after the election, Blago complained and got chased. Mumbai rocked, Palis rocketed, COPS STARTED SHOOTING YOUNG BLACK MEN, 22 years old, worse than their usual, seasonal abuse, during oppression, for tyrants, inc. John Burris blew me off! 360.yahoo/bobgnote.