Posted on 06/25/2010 12:05:17 PM PDT by SmithL
Former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle broke down and sobbed today as he described to a jury the moment he realized he had shot Oscar Grant in the back.
"I didn't think I had my gun," Mehserle said. "I heard the pop. It wasn't very loud. It wasn't like a gun shot. And then I remember thinking, 'What went wrong with my Taser?' I remember looking at my gun in my right hand."
Mehserle continued, "I didn't know what to think. It just shouldn't have been there."
Mehserle then broke down in tears, as did his mother, who was watching from the gallery.
Grant's mother left the courtroom and an unidentified black male screamed out, "You save those (expletive) tears dude."
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Perry immediately shut down proceedings and ordered the man arrested for contempt of court.
Mehserle's breakdown came during the second day of his testimony in the murder case against him. He said on the witness stand that he never intended to shoot Grant and thought he was reaching for his Taser, when instead he was reaching for his gun.
Mehserle said he decided to use his Taser on Grant after he struggled to grab Grant's right arm while he tried to handcuff him. Mehserle said he thought Grant might have been reaching for a gun.
The proceedings broke for a brief recess with Mehserle still on the stand. Deputy district attorney David Stein is expected to begin cross-examining him later today.
I thought it was just me...it's like bizarro DUmmie world around here sometimes.
His story about drawing the wrong weapon is a lie contrived by his defense attorney. The video shows he had his taser out, put it away, drew his pistol and murdered the handcuffed man.
You say the victim was a gang member. Unless that gang member had shot an unarmed, helpless person in the back while they were on the ground then the gang member is still a better person than the murdering cop.
Do you think he would even be on trial if someone hadn't been videotaping the murder? I think the rest of the officers would have covered it up, as usual.
Couldn't have anything to do with politically and historically sophisticated observers noting recent trends in police practices and method, could it?
Idiot.
What a pathetic display of impotent, infantile rage.
Is it any wonder modern LEOs are held in contempt by honorable, ethical Americans?
“Would you agree this was manslaughter?”
I followed the facts when the incident happened, but have not followed the trial. Having said that, based on what I know, what might be appropriate is negligent homicide.
Manslaughter is based on acting wrongly, and with wrongful intent, but acting in the heat of passion, (in effect) provoked by the victim. That doesnt fit the facts here — here the cop was acting with legal authority, not wrongfully, but acted negligently.
Even then, we would be talking about criminal negligence, and that would have to be proven by a standard that considers the situational stress, ie, given the mob taunting and threatening, was it criminally negligent for the officer to mistake his gun for his Taser.
In my own private view — it was a terrible accident, but it was an accident. The jury will want someone to blame, but you have to say, just as in a self-defense claim, that the victim caused the situation by his behavior, and so the victim is, in the end, to blame for the consequence.
That’s harsh to some, but its the truth.
Is seems to be a truism that cops deal with so many criminal idiots that they assume *everyone* who isn’t them is an idiot.
Not to mention the institutional excuses they use to justify their illegal and unethical behavior committed under the color of authority...
You obviously never watched any of the tapes to so flagrently mischaracterize the incident.
Just dealing with cops on the average speeding ticket is enough to convince the average person that the average cop is an a**hole.
Check out the article that one FR posted a link too, where a female cop did virtually the same thing this idiot did, used a handgun instead of a taser, and skated.
“You obviously never watched any of the tapes to so flagrently mischaracterize the incident.”
I saw the tapes that came out at the time the event happened. The tapes were nonconclusive; they did show a bit of a mob scene with a group taunting the cops, who were trying to arrest some persons that were lying on the ground. The specific details of pulling the taser/gun were hard to see. Is there some tape more conclusive that you can point me to?
Really, the issue we discussed here on FR at the time was — that the shooting HAD to be an accident, that no person in their right mind would, in that situation, intentionally shoot. The shooting made absolutely no sense when you could see the scene, that it HAD to be a terrible mistake, including since the shooting would only increase the danger (of an enraged mob) to the cops. Freepers figured out, within minutes, that the officer might have believed that he was using the Taser.
Unless you can show me something different, I’ll continue to assume that’s the case.
Then any discussion with you is a waste of time.
BTW, I call "BS." I was here for that discussion, and your "recollection" borders on special pleading. The sycophants posited the taser defense almost immediately because it had been used successfully in the past. There was NO statement from the principles to that effect for weeks.
Furthermore, the fact it took two weeks to arrest this murderer, and the police trying to collect cell phones from witnesses at the time of the incident adds much weight to the proposition the only reason this HAD to be an accident is because apologists refuse to consider the idea this was business as usual, excepting the police never had to face iron-clad evidence of their own malfeasence before.
Finally, as one who participated in the disscussions here, I consider it unconscionable for you to gloss over the fact the police defenders were in a distinct minority here, and the utter outrage of those of us advised to "keep an open mind" when then photographic evidence DEMANDS making a conclusion.
Uh, don't you mean "the 1% giving the 99% a bad name"?
While I'm at it, it's tiresome to hear people calling for the theoretical obliteration of (pick 'em) California, the Bay Area, or wherever else you can think of. Free Republic is headquartered in CA. There are many, many conservatives here, and really... after being here since 98 (forgot my first screenname and reregistered in 2000)... it just gets old.
Here's my idea for cleaning up the state. Illegals no longer get protection of the state and get out. Rehab the schools, bring the teachers' unions back from Mount Olympus, break the (D)s in power of the power and money habit and send them the hell home if they're not going to be public servants. Grow the conservative base - all but the most intransigent members of the welfare class can be taught to respect themselves and quit being an anchor on their family and neighbors.
No longer silent. Look at the poll numbers on who self-identifies as conservative/moderate (majority) versus liberty (20%). Wait for the moment when the Obots realize that he screwed them, too. All but the Marxist left will feel betrayed ...
In the meantime, folks, please lay off my home.
You wrote:
BTW, I call “BS.” I was here for that discussion, and your “recollection” borders on special pleading. The sycophants posited the taser defense almost immediately because it had been used successfully in the past. There was NO statement from the principles to that effect for weeks.
Furthermore, the fact it took two weeks to arrest this murderer, and the police trying to collect cell phones from witnesses at the time of the incident adds much weight to the proposition the only reason this HAD to be an accident is because apologists refuse to consider the idea this was business as usual, excepting the police never had to face iron-clad evidence of their own malfeasence before.
Finally, as one who participated in the disscussions here, I consider it unconscionable for you to gloss over the fact the police defenders were in a distinct minority here, and the utter outrage of those of us advised to “keep an open mind” when then photographic evidence DEMANDS making a conclusion.
+++++++++++++++++++++
First, I recommend you chill out. I don’t keep score of, or pay much attention to, the # of posts one way or another. It’s the quality, not the quantity, of arguments that matters.
Second, yes the Freeepers guessed that the “mistaken taser” was the only logical explanation, and they guessed that PRIOR to it being later confirmed. The alternative, that I presume you believe, is that the cop ELECTED to EXECUTE and restrained suspect, on the ground, in full view and within yards of dozens of people, many taking photographs with cell phones. Here on planet Earth, we understand that no rational person would do that, and so it must have been a tragic error.
You disagree.
Normally I consider my FR friends to be a cut above in all regards, but the blood-lust shown in this thread really has me scratching my head.
My late father-in-law was a career Oakland cop, retiring as a Captain. His run-ins included the Hells Angels under Sonny Barger, the Black Panthers, and even the SLA. He was no stranger to ghetto violence in Oakland, and the thugs who preyed on the innocent. A proud father of four kids, he was one of the kindest gentlemen I ever knew.
I remember another high profile case involving a gentleman named Rodney King, where a tightly edited news clip was looped repeatedly on TV, until Los Angeles was in flames. This is somewhat of an oversimplification, the PC verdict of of police brutality was finally reached after TWO trials (double jeopardy?) and South Central was in cinders.
Of course, the clip the MSM presented left out a combative Mr. King, refusing to submit, high on PCP most likely, and not slowing his attack on the police in spite of pepper spray and tasers. They finally got pissed off and clubbed the guy until he yielded. But this bit of vital info was left out, just the clubbing of a black man by white cops was shown. Repeatedly. Again and again. Until the MSM got what they wanted.
Having been held up at gunpoint three times by young East Bay black thugs, who felt they were entitled to all they could get by force, I can certainly understand how the Grant shooting could go down when confronting an out of control gang of thugs.
I’m appalled by those here who want to lynch Mehserle BEFORE the facts are presented and the verdict is in. I thought we were above these kinds of reactionary posts on insufficient evidence. Guess I was wrong.
Thanks for a well-reasoned post. Occam’s Razor still works.
If anyone wants to call me a boot-licker, don’t bother.
Bravo.
And yes, there are rotten members of each group: police officers, military, clergy, teachers... even this one.
Oh, Filo and telebob, the brutal execution of the four Oakland police officers last year (one of whom was a close friend of a friend of mine) was semi-official retaliation for the Oscar Grant shooting... by hyperracist East Oakland Marxist radicals. There were even a couple of lightly attended vigils for the dead murderer who stole the lives of two motorcycle officers, and then put his sister’s (?) family in danger by fleeing into their house. Two more officers were killed.
I drove by the Oakland Coliseum the afternoon of the memorial services for those four officers. The drivers on the normally congested and circus-like freeways and roads were polite. Police officers from all over the COUNTRY attended, citizens with flags stood guard on our bridges and intersections to welcome them.
It’s clear to me that some posters have issues. If you insist on your blind prejudice against police officers, go take a look at the Oathkeepers website, and take a look at who’s willing to stand between the innocent and evil.
Yup. All the "sorry" in the world won't restore life to the dead man's carcass.
Personally, I'm amazed there is even a trial over this. Normally cops who kill citizens are given a few weeks paid vacation, the put bak out there to do it again, with more feeling.
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