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.

[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.

[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?

[Trip]

it was an accident, he was trying to go "boom headshot" and fired too early.

[Racerboy]

This is how this will play out:
This will drag out in court for years
The BART people will settle out of court for 10M of the 25M Suit
There will be a Civil suit against the officer
The Victims family will win huge money they will never collect
The NAACP and other Civil Right Groups will claim victory...
Sadly, the officer will commit suicide in disgrace
SFPD officers will go through new training to determine the difference between a taser and a pistol.