Civil Trial Begins for Officer Who Fatally Shot Oscar Grant
On Monday, jury deliberations began in the civil case of transit officer Johannes Mehserle, who fatally shot Oscar Grant III at a BART station on New Year's Day in 2009.
"You're the first and only jury to decide this matter in the civil arena," said attorney Waukeen McCoy, representing the shooting victim's father, Oscar Grant Jr. "You will have to decide the value of a young black man's life to his father," he continued, according to the InsideBayArea.com.
The federal jury will decide whether Mehserle intended to fire a taser instead of his gun at Grant; aimed to maliciously attack Grant; and whether his father Grant, Jr. is entitled to damages, although he has been incarcerated since 1985.
The jury will also decide a separate case brought by Oscar's best friend Johtue Caldwell against Offcier Marysol Domenici. Caldwell accused the officer of using excessive force the night of the incident. Caldwell's mother, Zephoria Smith, continues to fight justice since her son was killed in a shooting in 2011.
Johannes Mehserle served a two-year sentence after a jury convicted him of involuntary manslaughter and acquitted him of the murder of Grant. He was released on parole in June 13, 2011.
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(Photo: Courtesy of The Oscar Grant Foundation)