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BART Shooting

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At 2:15 a.m. on January 1, 2009, a 22-year old Hayward man was shot and killed by a BART Police transit officer on the platform of the Fruitvale BART station in Oakland, Calif. Oscar Grant was laying on his stomach, appearing to cooperate with Johannes Mehserle, the officer who has since resigned from the department, when he was mortally wounded in the back. The incident happened in front of hundreds of eyewitnesses who were on an idle subway train at the platform. Some of them captured the actual shooting incident and the chaotic moments before and after the fatal shot was fired on camera. The video has been broadcast throughout the world, and seen online millions of times. The outrage has resulted in violent rioting and tense community anguish that the Bay Area has not seen since the attacks of 9-11.

THE LATEST BART SHOOTING INCIDENT NEWS FROM THE CALIFORNIA BEAT:

Bookmark this page and check back with the California Beat regularly for complete and continuous coverage on the BART shooting incident.

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Those critical pieces of home video captured by cell phone cameras have been broadcast widely and are extremely graphic. This video below captures the entire shooting incident, the events that led up to it, and the reaction after the shot went off. (VIEWER WARNING: This is graphic video and language used may not be appropriate for all viewers.)

Other videos:

Photographs:


commentary1People who have seen the videos have reacted strongly and fiercely. Here is a sampling of what some of our readers have said on our commentary forums that accompany all of our stories:

Taurel writes:
Good. They have a right to riot. They’re obviously only following the example set forth by the police.Shoot first ask questions later. If that’s the game they want to play then why would they expect the public to follow a different standard?

Kiloez writes:
I’m in NY and just saw the video on the net, then found this page. The first phrase out of my mouth – ‘That was an execution.’ The officer who fired the shot is clearly seen standing over the victim and pulling the trigger. Good lord, the man is lying on his stomach with his hands behind his back!

Sarah writes:
I think the whole shooting was obviously a mistake, the tasers are shaped EXACTLY like a gun. I mean the things literally are like a replica of a gun with no barrel. No cop is going to outright shoot a unarmed man with so many witnesses around like that (cops and by standers) . It was just a tragic accident and people are taking it as some form of racial discrimination which is ridiculous.

Mike writes:
When a police officer has asked you to do some thing and you want to be confrontational, you get what you deserve, even while subdued, keep your mouth shut and don’t move. This might be hard for some of you out there, to keep your loud mouths shut and your bodies still, this to me is aggression. Our society does lack discipline and this individual whom had just got out of the state prison system still lacked [it].

Join the conversation on our website and on the Beat’s Facebook.com page: BART SHOOTING INCIDENT: Should the Police Officer, Johannes Mehserle, face criminal charges for killing Grant?

editorial

The California Beat also has strong opinions about what has happened. We said:

OUR OPINION: Can the public trust the BART Police Department?
The female BART Police Officer seen standing directly next to Grant when Pirone launched his fist into the victim’s face apparently did not report the beating. Nor did any of the other officers who responded to the station that early morning — instead they stayed silent, hoping that they confiscated enough cell phones and cameras that might have caught those initial moments on tape from being made public, and allowed a vicious crime to go unreported.Such disregard for the law from the very people who are being asked and paid by the public to uphold it is horrifying.

OUR OPINION: Criminal charges should be filed against second BART cop, Transit police culture needs to be examined
We have deep concerns and pressing questions that we demand BART and the BART Police Department answer — because frankly, it appears that their solemn attempts at being forthright with frustrated and angered members of the public where merely a public relations stunt that just went belly-up.

OUR OPINION: BART’s reaction to Grant shooting was despicable
So far, the actions of BART Police, management and the Board of Directors in the handling of the investigation and the public anguish of the shooting incident have bordered on incompetence.

PEOPLE ARE ANGRY: Damning home video and cover-up allegations keeps BART on the hot seat for shooting rider
But we have deeper concerns over the aftermath of the incident, specifically about the reports that BART Police confiscated cell phones and cameras that might have caught the incident on video. BART has said that they are in possession of such items and indicated that they are reviewing footage of the shooting. We ask why officers felt it was necessary to illegally seize private property from witnesses who saw the incident. It suggests that BART police officers attempted a hastily executed cover-up after realizing that Grant may have been shot without just cause.

ROY MORLIDGE: Recent events prove BART needs drastic changes
Both BART and BART police have asked that the public not jump to conclusions about the shooting until their investigation is complete. Considering how poorly they have publicly handled the investigation and from all the footage that has come out, how do they honestly expect us not to jump to conclusions?

If you have news tips on the BART Shooting Incident or if you would like to comment on our coverage, e-mail us today.