Vol. 73/No. 25 June 29, 2009
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Oakland, California, cop to face murder trial |
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Militant/Betsey Stone
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OAKLAND, California—Wanda Johnson speaks to reporters outside the Alameda County Superior Court here. On June 4 Judge C. Don Clay ordered former transit cop Johannes Mehserle to face trial for murder in the killing of Johnson’s son Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old African American worker.
Mehserle shot Grant in the back at the Fruitvale transit stop here January 1. Mehserle’s attorney had argued that the cop meant to use a Taser on Grant. “There is no doubt in my mind that Mr. Mehserle intended to shoot Oscar Grant with a gun and not a Taser,” Judge Clay said after hearing seven days of testimony. “These young men did nothing to warrant the use of deadly force.” Clay was referring to Grant and four of his friends who were detained by transit cops, allegedly in response to a fight on the train. While welcoming Clay’s decision, Johnson called on the transit agency to take action against other officers who were with Mehserle January 1. “Something needs to be done,” she said. Mehserle will return for arraignment in Clay’s courtroom on June 18. He will be the first cop to face a murder trial for a line-of-duty killing in nearly 15 years, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report. —JOEL BRITTON |