Former BART officer convicted of involuntary manslaughter...

[HipChick]

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bart-verdict-20100709,0,4753049.story

A former transit police officer who fatally shot an unarmed man at an Oakland train station was convicted of involuntary manslaughter Thursday, capping a racially charged case that raised fears in the Bay Area of possible violence after the verdict.

Prosecutors accused the ex-officer of intentionally firing his handgun as he tried to handcuff Oscar J. Grant III on New Year's Day 2009. Johannes Mehserle, 28, tearfully testified that the shooting was a tragic accident caused when he mistakenly grabbed his firearm instead of an electric Taser weapon during a struggle with Grant.

The shooting was captured on video by several witnesses. Mehserle, who is white, fired a single round into the back of Grant, who was black and was lying face-down on the station platform. Mehserle resigned a week after the shooting.The killing provoked protests and violence in Oakland. The case, which has drawn comparisons to the videotaped beating of Rodney G. King that ultimately triggered riots in Los Angeles in 1992, was moved to Los Angeles for trial amid concern about the extensive media coverage of the slaying in the Bay Area.

Many civil rights activists considered the case a test of how the justice system treats police officers accused of abusing minorities. The trial also captured the attention of law enforcement officers who feared that a guilty verdict could raise the stakes for cops who make mistakes.

The shooting occurred soon after police responded to reports of a fight on a train stopped at the Fruitvale Station. Grant and four friends were detained by a different police officer who prosecutors said used excessive force against the men. Mehserle arrived on the platform after the men had been detained.

Alameda County Deputy Dist. Atty. David R. Stein rejected the idea that the shooting was a mistake, telling jurors that Mehserle's holster was specially designed to prevent easy release of his firearm. The prosecutor contrasted the light, bright yellow Taser gun with the heavier black Sig Sauer handgun that Mehserle fired.

"He let his aggression dictate his conduct," Stein told jurors

[Bozita]

1. LIVE wall-to-wall coverage on KGO radio now - link for listening ...

http://www.kgoam810.com/listenlive.asp

[Bonobo]

2. Drawing a gun and firing it into the back of an unarmed, kneeling, handcuffed man is "involuntary"?

Ok, sure.

[MadMaddie]

4. Agreed! We should be thankful he was convicted

of something.

I keep coming back to if the officer was incapable of telling the difference between a gun and a taser then there is something wrong with him and with the training he received.

[newtothegame]

8. Surprised?

In this society, choosing to get behind the wheel of a 1-ton vehicle drunk and driving 80 miles an hour in residential neighborhoods is "involuntary manslaughter" if you kill someone. This is the society we've created, we've got to live with it.

[tularetom]

3. When I heard of this case my first reaction was hang the bastard

After I learned a bit more about the situation it's hard to say it was any kind of premeditated act, so IMO murder 1 should be off the table.

That said, it was a bit more than "involuntary" manslaughter. It was not a matter of negligence, it was a deliberate provocative act, fueled by fear and anger. Mr. Mehserle has no business being a police officer and he should be in prison for a long time but he is not a "murderer".

I think voluntary manslaughter would have been the appropriate verdict, with sentencing to the max allowed by law. Funny how people who don't have to live with the consequences of their verdict can treat this act so lightly. I would not want to be a BART cop after this.

[NotThisTime]

10. I agree about the sentence, manslaughter with more than 2-4 freaking years, he wasn't cut out for

that line of work....

[MarkInSavannah]

12. By Definition.......

If it was a deliberate, provocative act, he would have been a murderer. Many people see the video in many different ways but I, as a member of law enforcement see a totally stunned and surprised look on the officer's face; a very obvious "shit, what did I just do?" look. It's very easy to condemn the actions of this officer, but to conclude this was a premeditated act is, in my opinion something of a stretch. I fully anticipate folks coming back with the, "you're just defending one of your own" snipes and that's fine. I am not defending the negligence and gross incompetence on display here......far from it. I do feel however, that the verdict returned in this case was a proper one. Involuntary manslaughter: A person commits the offense of involuntary manslaughter in the commission of an unlawful act when he causes the death of another human being without any intention to do so by the commission of an unlawful act other than a felony.

[Canuckistanian]

5. Involuntary manslaughter?

There was nothing "involuntary" about it.

The BART officer fired his weapon into a restrained and subdued suspect, killing him.

There was no reason for gunfire. The situation was already in control.

We all saw the video.

[my2sense]

6. Why am I not surprised by this

light verdict. It seems some lives are not as valuable as others is this society.

[dana_b]

7. Rachel covered the story also

well, actually it's Chris from The Nation:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/38159312%2338159312#38159312

[Bullet1987]

14. It was a very light retelling of what happened

MSNBC didn't have anyone on to give their POV. Meaning they were in damage control mode, no way they were going to have one of the family members on telling how BS this verdict was.

[vanlassie]

9. "He let his aggression dictate his conduct," Stein told jurors

Yeah, no doubt at least in part because of the aggravating circumstance of his superior officer yelling "Bitch-ass nigger" at Grant. Hate speech.

[Brewman_Jax]

11. Involuntary manslaughter

It's sad that he got such a light sentence. :( It's almost a miracle to get charges against any accused cop much less a conviction.

[Romulox]

13. Involuntary manslaughter? The facts don't support the verdict.

2nd Degree Murder.

[dana_b]

16. the judge threw out the choice for a

verdict of murder. The jurors had three choices: voluntary or involuntary manslaughter or acquittal.

[Odin2005]

15. I-M? Sould have been Murder.