![]() ![]() Demonstrators left a trail of broken windshields as they moved down 17th Street, angering some residents. Police in riot gear allowed several hundred marchers to move through the streets for about an hour before encircling a smaller number near 6th Avenue and East 17th Street. The shooting triggered rioting days later and again in July, when a Los Angeles jury rejected murder and voluntary manslaughter charges but found that the officer acted with gross negligence.Ī four-hour peaceful demonstration at Oakland City Hall moved into the surrounding streets and took on a more aggressive tone Friday evening with marchers smashing windshields, making obscene gestures at surrounding police and noisily shouting slogans. Grant, 22, was lying face-down on the Fruitvale Station platform when he was shot. Grainy video footage of the New Year's Day 2009 shooting was captured by several witnesses and shows Mehserle, who is white, firing one round into the back of Oscar J. ![]() ![]() "Nothing I could ever say or do could heal the wound I created." "I want to say how deeply sorry I am," said Mehserle, 28. The sentencing followed a tearful apology from Mehserle, who, handcuffed to a waist chain over his orange jail scrubs, insisted that the shooting was unintentional. "Nothing, he got nothing!" she told reporters after she exited. Perry said evidence in the racially charged case showed that the shooting was an accident caused when Johannes Mehserle mistakenly reached for a firearm instead of an electric Taser weapon he meant to use.Īs Perry spoke, the victim's mother rushed from the courtroom with other relatives and supporters. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Robert J. La Ganga, Los Angeles TimesĪ former police officer convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting of an unarmed man on an Oakland train station platform was sentenced Friday to two years in prison, sparking outrage from relatives and supporters of the victim who denounced the punishment as too lenient. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Īn Oakland demonstrator lies on ground in protest after the Mehserle sentencing.įormer BART Officer Johannes Mehserle gets 2 years in Oscar Grant killing A peaceful protest in Oakland over the sentence given in the shooting of black man by a white officer turns aggressive, with demonstrators smashing windshields and chanting slogans.īy Jack Leonard, Abby Sewell and Maria L. "It's going to require each one of us to examine ourselves and as we examine ourselves to begin to push for love, realizing that we're all created equal," said Wanda Johnson.Former BART Officer gets 2 years in Oscar Grant killingĪ peaceful protest over the sentence turns aggressive Grant's family appreciates those efforts in Oakland and across the country, but also believes a long-term solution could come in a different form. Over 200 people came out to attend this vigil, without a demonstration or march. "Many young black and brown men are being killed at an unprecedented rate across the United States so it's really a heart-aching feeling to experience and relive on a consistent basis," explained Cephus Johnson. That's something Grant's uncle says he can't ignore. Since then, other unarmed black men have been killed by police officers but a different outcome. Grant's killer, former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle, who said he meant to use his Taser stun gun instead of the gun he used to shoot Grant, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to two years in prison, minus time served.
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