Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old African American was fatally shot in the back by Oakland BART (Bay Area Rapid Transport) Police a few hours after midnight on New Year’s Eve.
The scene took place at around 2am on 1 January in Fruitvale metro station, Oakland. The victim, Oscar Grant, held a criminal record. The bullet fired by the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transport) police officer shot through Grant’s body, hit the ground, and ricocheted back once more. He died shortly after being transported to hospital.
“First, an officer grabbed Oscar by the neck and pushed him against the wall,” the Oakland Tribune quoted her as saying. “Oscar didn’t fight him, but he didn’t go down either. He was like, ‘What did I do?’ Then another officer came up with his Taser and held it right in his face. Oscar said, ‘Please don’t shoot me, please don’t Taser me, I have a daughter,’ over and over again, real fast, and he sat down.”
They say that the shot was accidental. One of the theories put forward by the American press is that the officer believed he was using a Taser gun and not a firearm with bullets. The victim’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the BART police service, and on Monday a protest was organised in front of the BART head office.
This video shows what happened quite clearly. At 36 seconds into the film, the officer fires the shot.
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