Cold-Blooded Murder or Necessary Police Measure

Man Killed in Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting at Fruitvale BART

OAKLAND, Calif. (KCBS) -- A fatal officer-involved shooting has left one man dead following an altercation at the Fruitvale BART station in Oakland early New Year

Posted: Thursday, 01 January 2009 5:03PM



ListenKCBS? Chris Filippi reports

Five BART police officers intervened at the station where the train was stopped and restrained some of the men. BART Spokesman Jim Allison says there was a lot ?verbal jockeying and shouting? between the men and the officers. It was during the chaos that an officer?s weapon fired and struck 22-year-old Oscar Grant.

Allison says that while some men were restrained in zip-tie handcuffs, preliminary investigations indicate that Grant was not restrained when he was shot.

Grant was transported a nearby hospital where he later died of his injuries.

Allison says each station uses different surveillance methods. Fruitvale, however, is one of the few BART stations that doesn't have any tape recording equipment, so there is no "official tape" of the incident.

The station was closed until about 2:50 a.m. due to police activity at the scene of the shooting.

BART had extended its services much later than normal early Thursday morning to accommodate New Year?s Eve celebrators.

The last fatal officer-involved shooting at BART was at the Hayward Station in April 2001.

(cfu)

Copyright 2008, KCBS. All Rights Reserved.


Here's the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXWSgG-KNng

Oscar Grant was trying to cooperate with the police but one pig a*****e drew his gun and shot him for no reason. Oscar wasn't armed or anything... the whole thing was scary. Any of you live in the bay area and ride BART, be careful.

2 hours ago, I had to leave campus because a huge protest is being held there because of this incident. Many students left Civic Center and went home. there was a lot of police cops and guys dressed in black suits with sunglasses standing eerily by looking around in the Civic Center BART station....

my thoughts exactly, but it seems that this pig won't have any charges against him. I heard from Campus Security that the officer "thought he was reaching for his taser gun" he quit right after this happen

This is a loaded issue, because Grant was a convicted felon, had a history of violence, and was obviously talking back to and putting up a mild struggle. Many people have even gone so far as to say that, no big deal, Grant was a lowlife thug, we're better off without him.

Actual quotes:

"I just don't feel any sympathy for him."
"The world is a better place without him."
"We are all responsible for our actions. His led to his death."

Yadda yadda.

My take on it is that the officer is wholly and solely responsible for this. Regardless of his status as a criminal (which the officers had zero knowledge of anyway), he was a legally free citizen of our nation. He was defenseless, subdued, and pinned down by several officers when he was shot in the back. Some say the officer didn't mean to shoot him. I say that every police officer in the nation knows that you do not draw, cock, and aim your firearm at anything you are not 100% ready to destroy.

So do I think the world is better off without a drug-dealing thug like Grant? Maybe, sure. But it's significantly worse off for his life to have been taken this way, by the people we must explicitly trust to protect us on a daily basis.

edit

you want me to edit the post? no offense intended, just an innocent question

No, sorry, I said something I'm now reconsidering. I edited my post. Don't edit yours.

This was so wrong. I can't even believe things like this happen.

well, that's what happens in big cities. BART is the only way I can get to school since I don't have a car, but I don't think it's all that safe anymore

My husband is a cop and agrees that the officer needs to be charged at least with manslaughter.

Why isn't there as big an outcry with demonstrations and all, when an officer gets shot down by some dirtbag thug?

why is everyone protesting now? sure protest once the cop has faced charges and you feel justice has not been done, but to protest now, before you even know whats going to happen to the cop is surely just going to whip a s*** load of hatred up and rioting?

exactly, no reason to unholster the gun, the threat level had gone down if anything, no reason to go to the next level

Use of Force Level 1
Officer presence is appearance, demeanor, and verbal and non-verbal communication that create an atmosphere of compliance.
The drawing of a personal defense weapon, chemical irritant, expandable baton, or handcuffs is classified as a Level 1 use of force. A PDW may be drawn from its holster, or a long gun loaded with lethal munitions shouldered for firing only if: (1) deadly force is authorized; or (2) there is a reasonable possibility that the use of deadly force may be required.
The chambering of a round in a riot shotgun is an authorized warning signal to prevent the development of a situation that might otherwise require the use of deadly force.

Use of Force Level 2
Verbal commands are in the form of task direction with consequences aimed at the subject.

Use of Force Level 3
Control techniques are techniques or actions with a low probability of causing connective tissue damage, lacerations of the skin or broken bones. These techniques include the proper use of restraint devices and pain compliance and strength techniques.

Use of Force Level 4
Aggressive response techniques are techniques or actions with a probability of causing connective tissue damage, lacerations of the skin, or broken bones, or that will produce irritation of the skin, eyes, and/or mucous membranes. These techniques include the proper use of kicks, stuns, punches, take downs, and chemical irritants.

Use of Force Level 5
Intermediate weapons are techniques or actions with a high probability of causing connective tissue damage, lacerations of the skin or broken bones. These techniques include the proper use of the following:
12-gauge sting ball munitions
12-gauge rubber fin-stabilized munitions
Expandable baton

Level 6 - Use of Deadly Force
Deadly force is any force that is likely to cause death or serious physical injury, including the proper use of standard service weapons.

Watching the video, they were clearly at level 3 and de-escalating to level 2

That's actually a good question.

I think the answer lies in expectations and trust. No one trusts dirtbag thugs to do the right thing. They don't occupy positions of power in our society.

We expect dirtbag thugs to hurt people. It sucks, and we mourn over them, but it's expected. However, we feel betrayed when a police officer does it, because we have entrusted this person with a great deal of responsibility.