Oscar Grant,

Oakland , California
January 01, 2009

Agencies: Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Department California BART

Cause of death: Shooting

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Overview

Assaulted and falsely detained Oscar Grant, and shot him dead in the back as three officers were on top of him while he was being handcuffed; handcuffed after he was shot with no medical attention given. Arbitrary Detention/Killing, Extra Judicial Punishment/ Killing, Torture, Summary Execution

After Rodney King was beaten by Los Angeles police officers in 1991, a panel investigating excessive use of force by the LAPD found that officers operated under "an organizational culture that emphasizes crime control over crime prevention and that isolates the police from the communities and the people they serve." As a result, police violence and racism stems from this culture which teaches "to command and confront, not to communicate," the report said.

Legal Action

The federal jury awarded no damages to the father of Oscar Grant III, killed by a single shot to the back from BART Officer Johannes Mehserle early on Jan. 1, 2009 in Oakland.

A Los Angeles jury rejected a murder charge against a Bay Area transit officer who shot an unarmed man on a train station platform, but found him guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

The killing of Oscar Grant III was captured on video by transit riders who witnessed the shooting.

The officer, Johannes Mehserle, testified that the shooting was an accident when he mistakenly drew his pistol instead of a Taser. Mehserle was sentenced to two years behind bars and served about a year. The killing sparked protests and later inspired the film "Fruitvale Station."

April 2014 BART Director decides he has a need to carry concealed firearms

Community and Family Efforts

Oscar Grant Committee

January 2017 Community vigil