Oscar Grant III was shot and killed by Johannes Mehserle on New Year's Day. Mehserle was a transit officer at in Oakland, California. He resigned a few days after the incident was found on the internet. A rainy phone video was taken by a witness of the event. One officer was kneeling on Grant, holding him down, while Mehserle is seen taking out his gun and shooting Grant in the back, killing him. Some say that Mehserle meant to grab for his Taser not his gun, but none will ever know for sure what was really going on. Mehserle was released on $3 million bail, which upset many people and fueled more demonstrations. The Grant family is filing a $50 million wrongful death suit against Mehserle.
I am a little surprised that I do not remember this happening on New Year's. I do not think I ever heard of this incident. I do not understand it either. I do not know if I should believe that Mehserle was reaching for his Taser instead of his gun and "accidently" picked the wrong one. Or if I Should believe that he meant to grab his gun and shoot Grant. It's a very tricky subject to discuss. Maybe Mehserle did accidently grab his gun, but would that change things? Probably not. Grant is still dead. His family will still mourne his death. Nothing can bring him back. I do think that it is good that the Grant family is filing a suit against Mehserle. I do not believe that someone should have died over a small transit fight. Especially shot by police, the people that are supposed to protect and serve. Not shoot from behind and kill.
No comments:
Post a Comment