Jury delivers involuntary manslaughter verdict in Oakland shooting

[strollingbones]

dont you ever wonder how many of these border line situations....are in reality...someone simply wanting to experience killing someone?

2nd degree murder? i would have voted for voluntary manslaughter....

 

[strollingbones]

rodney king? damn that is going in the way back machine...

if rodney king had been white...we would all be saying...."teach his ass to stop when the cops turn on their blue ligths"...

 

[eagleseven]

Involuntary? So...his finger just twiched on the trigger?

Showed up for work...voluntary.
Made a choice to use force on a person already on the ground...voluntary.
Different trigger guards, safetys, weights, colors, holders, holder locations means... voluntary choice of weapon.
voluntary taking of a life without cause or threat...second degree murder at a minimum.

You have never put your hand in your purse for your wallet, but accidentally grabbed your cellphone by mistake? Now, add the pressure of a aggressive suspect resisting arrest, and such a mistake is not implausible.

We have not seen the video, while the Jury has, the Jury has decided it was a mistake, and have punished him appropriately.

 

[syrenn]

Wait till cover of darkness and the shopping spree will begin. All this is, is another excuse to have a riot.

 

[xotoxi]

You have never put your hand in your purse...

And you have?

 

[Quantum Windbag]

From what I have read, it seems that Oscar Grant was involved in a brawl, and was being arrested along with several others by the officer in question.

Oscar resisted arrest and fell to the ground, when the officer pulled his pistol and shot the unarmed suspect. The officer claims he intended to pull his taser, but mistakenly pulled his pistol in the heat of the moment. It would depend upon the video...if he took the time to aim, then he clearly realized it was a pistol. If he hip-fired after rapidly drawing, however, then it likely was an accident. Given that the Jury saw the video and thought it was accidental (involuntary), I would say it was accident.



Unfortunate for everyone involved.

Grant was on the pavement, being held down by tow other officers. Mehersle got up off of Grant, stood up, and pulled his gun and shot him. The jury found that he did not intend to kill grant, hence the involuntary manslaughter charge, and found him guilty of intending to use his gun. That seems a bit of a wierd logical leap to me, but they made it.

 

[eagleseven]

dont you ever wonder how many of these border line situations....are in reality...someone simply wanting to experience killing someone?

I'll bet you find that far more in the military, than in the police.

if rodney king had been white...we would all be saying...."teach his ass to stop when the cops turn on their blue ligths"...

Yup...racial issues in the US are convoluted and absurd.

For some reason, blacks who resist arrest are celebrated, while whites who resist arrest are deemed terrorists or trash. Bizarre.

 

[syrenn]

Grant was on the pavement, being held down by tow other officers. Mehersle got up off of Grant, stood up, and pulled his gun and shot him. The jury found that he did not intend to kill grant, hence the involuntary manslaughter charge, and found him guilty of intending to use his gun. That seems a bit of a wierd logical leap to me, but they made it.

And for such a confusing decision it will be an automatic appeal.

 

[eagleseven]

You have never put your hand in your purse...

And you have?

I have a laptop case

 

[saveliberty]

Involuntary? So...his finger just twiched on the trigger?

Showed up for work...voluntary.
Made a choice to use force on a person already on the ground...voluntary.
Different trigger guards, safetys, weights, colors, holders, holder locations means... voluntary choice of weapon.
voluntary taking of a life without cause or threat...second degree murder at a minimum.

You have never put your hand in your purse for your wallet, but accidentally grabbed your cellphone by mistake? Now, add the pressure of a aggressive suspect resisting arrest, and such a mistake is not implausible.

We have not seen the video, while the Jury has, the Jury has decided it was a mistake, and have punished him appropriately.

I can say with complete confidence, I have NEVER reached in a purse for my wallet and came up with anything. In my brief employment as a security guard in college, I never reached for my night stick instead of the mace or vice versa. In fact, I never reached for either. You put them down and apply the cuffs period.

An ex-cop is working as a security guard. That usually means he lost his job for a conduct violation. Hellbitch is on the right track here.

 

[chesswarsnow]

Sorry bout that,


1. I think that this cop made a fatal mistake.
2. And I don't think he should go to prison for it.
3. I do think he should be taken out of service.
4. Desk job at best.


Regards,
SirJamesofTexas

 

[eagleseven]

I can say with complete confidence, I have NEVER reached in a purse for my wallet and came up with anything.

If you don't have a purse...

In my brief employment as a security guard in college, I never reached for my night stick instead of the mace or vice versa. In fact, I never reached for either. You put them down and apply the cuffs period.

I remember Campus Security was regularly defeated by the local criminals...in the worst episode, two security guards were gutted as they attempted to apprehend a mugger empty-handed.

An ex-cop is working as a security guard. That usually means he lost his job for a conduct violation. Hellbitch is on the right track here.

Does he have a documented history of abusing suspects? If not, you cannot ruin a man's life on speculative hearsay.

 

[strollingbones]

who is the new guy from texas?

well we will never know if it was a mistake or intentional ...and in all fairness i am sure the jury...has many reasons for their verdict.

 

[eagleseven]

Another thought...if his intent was to kill, why only one shot?

Police and Military are taught the Mozambique Drill, meaning two shots to the torso and one to the head. With only one shot to the torso, there is no guarantee that the target will be killed, let alone stopped from harming others.

No properly trained officer or soldier would shoot a target only once.

 

[saveliberty]

I can say with complete confidence, I have NEVER reached in a purse for my wallet and came up with anything.

If you don't have a purse...

In my brief employment as a security guard in college, I never reached for my night stick instead of the mace or vice versa. In fact, I never reached for either. You put them down and apply the cuffs period.

I remember Campus Security was regularly defeated by the local criminals...in the worst episode, two security guards were gutted as they attempted to apprehend a mugger empty-handed.

An ex-cop is working as a security guard. That usually means he lost his job for a conduct violation. Hellbitch is on the right track here.

Does he have a documented history of abusing suspects? If not, you cannot ruin a man's life on speculative hearsay.

Correct, I have not nor will not carry a purse with my wallet in it this lifetime.

I never said I was campus security, it was a private firm with off campus locations like a National Gaurd Armory.

As to point three, he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Given the sequence of events and the necessity of a life threatening situation required to use deadly force, enough jury members opted for reasonable doubt to spare him a murder conviction.

So...is it reasonable for a trained police officer to mistake a taser for a gun? Nope.

Is it reasonable to consider yourself life threatened when another officer has the person on the ground? Nope.

 

[saveliberty]

Another thought...if his intent was to kill, why only one shot?

Police and Military are taught the Mozambique Drill, meaning two shots to the torso and one to the head. With only one shot to the torso, there is no guarantee that the target will be killed, let alone stopped from harming others.

No properly trained officer or soldier would shoot a target only once.

I suppose the other officer might have taken a dim view of taking two of the slugs?

 

[eagleseven]

No properly trained officer or soldier would shoot a target only once.

I suppose the other officer might have taken a dim view of taking two of the slugs?

So there was a risk of hitting his fellow officer? And you say this was intentional?

So...is it reasonable for a trained police officer to mistake a taser for a gun? Nope.

Is it reasonable to consider yourself life threatened when another officer has the person on the ground? Nope.

Hence why he is going to prison.

 

[saveliberty]

No properly trained officer or soldier would shoot a target only once.

I suppose the other officer might have taken a dim view of taking two of the slugs?

So there was a risk of hitting his fellow officer? And you say this was intentional?

So...is it reasonable for a trained police officer to mistake a taser for a gun? Nope.

Is it reasonable to consider yourself life threatened when another officer has the person on the ground? Nope.

Hence why he is going to prison.

Seriously, do your research. The locations you suggested for a shot would have put the other guard in the line of fire. He took the open shot to the back. Usually the back is considered the offensive shot and not a defensive one.

 

[xotoxi]

Jury delivers involuntary manslaughter verdict in Oakland shooting - CNN.com

You can't have manslaughter without laughter.

 

[syrenn]

And as darkness falls the riots and looting begin.