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LOS ANGELES – A white former transit officer was convicted of involuntary manslaughter Thursday in the videotaped shooting death of an unarmed black man on an Oakland train platform in an encounter that set off days of rioting in the city.

Prosecutors had wanted Johannes Mehserle convicted of murdering 22-year-old Oscar Grant, who was shot once in the back as he lay face-down.

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Does the verdict seem correct to you?

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ORIGINAL: Fellow

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Does the verdict seem correct to you?

I followed the case. Sorry for the loss of life but, I think, the verdict was correct one. It was obviously accidental shooting.

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ORIGINAL: Fellow

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Does the verdict seem correct to you?

I followed the case. Sorry for the loss of life but, I think, the verdict was correct one. It was obviously accidental shooting.

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ORIGINAL: rulemylife

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ORIGINAL: Fellow

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Does the verdict seem correct to you?

I followed the case. Sorry for the loss of life but, I think, the verdict was correct one. It was obviously accidental shooting.

Accidental?

A trained police officer "mistakenly" pulled his gun and fired it thinking it was a taser?

I've heard some lame stories but this one tops them all.

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Johannes Mehserle

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ORIGINAL: Sanity


Our eminently fair and impartial Justice department has decided to involve himself

[image]http://www.nypost.com/rw/nypost/2010/01/27/news/photos_stories/cropped/eric_holder_edit2--300x300.jpg[/image]

Any bets as to what he'll decide to do?

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ORIGINAL: subrob1967

Johannes Mehserle should join the Black Panthers, Holder wouldn't touch him then.

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ORIGINAL: AsmodaisSin
Except that the current black panthers' leader would tell him to gtfo because he's not black. 

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ORIGINAL: subrob1967

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ORIGINAL: AsmodaisSin
Except that the current black panthers' leader would tell him to gtfo because he's not black. 

I'm of the opinion that Holder is too stupid to know the difference.

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ORIGINAL: Elisabella

You'd have to be all sorts of mental to shoot someone in the back at a train station in front of witnesses. Seriously. It was negligent as all hell but the idea that he intended to kill that man doesn't ring true to me. He wasn't fired on or in any immediate danger and any time a cop shoots someone there's an investigation to see if it was justified and this situation is nowhere close to that.

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ORIGINAL: rulemylife
Negligent doesn't cut it.

Even if someone had never handled a taser or a gun I'm pretty sure most people would be able to tell the difference.

But he was trained in the use of both.

If he thought he was in danger then why not use that as a defense instead of the laughable story he put forth?

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ORIGINAL: subrob1967

Actually, the handle on a Tazer is very much like that of a Glock, both are polymer, and set at about the same angle, that being said, Mehserle made more than one mistake, and should have been charged with at least reckless homicide, if not second degree murder. For one, your finger does not go in the trigger guard unless you plan on shooting. Glocks only have a 6lb trigger pull, and no external safeties, they're point and shoot striker fired weapons. Also a Tazer weighs quite a bit less than a Glock 17/19 fully loaded with magazine inserted.

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ORIGINAL: Sanity


Think of the adrenalin factor. Not claiming I know what happened in this case but I do know that whenever adrenalin is involved heavy objects can feel quite a bit lighter.

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ORIGINAL: AsmodaisSin

I'm not sure what to believe.  If I state that I feel that the verdict was fair, I'm labeled as a racist.  If I say that it had to be intentional because the guy was black, I'm a racist, because that assumes that the cop was racist for shooting the guy.  I feel like no matter what response anyone gives, they're going to get that label.  It just seems all so messed up to me. 

What's even worse is that these people feel it's necessary to destroy public property in order to protest.  What does that accomplish?

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ORIGINAL: Sanity


Think of the adrenalin factor. Not claiming I know what happened in this case but I do know that whenever adrenalin is involved heavy objects can feel quite a bit lighter.

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ORIGINAL: subrob1967

Actually, the handle on a Tazer is very much like that of a Glock, both are polymer, and set at about the same angle, that being said, Mehserle made more than one mistake, and should have been charged with at least reckless homicide, if not second degree murder. For one, your finger does not go in the trigger guard unless you plan on shooting. Glocks only have a 6lb trigger pull, and no external safeties, they're point and shoot striker fired weapons. Also a Tazer weighs quite a bit less than a Glock 17/19 fully loaded with magazine inserted.

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ORIGINAL: rulemylife

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ORIGINAL: Elisabella

You'd have to be all sorts of mental to shoot someone in the back at a train station in front of witnesses. Seriously. It was negligent as all hell but the idea that he intended to kill that man doesn't ring true to me. He wasn't fired on or in any immediate danger and any time a cop shoots someone there's an investigation to see if it was justified and this situation is nowhere close to that.

Negligent doesn't cut it.

Even if someone had never handled a taser or a gun I'm pretty sure most people would be able to tell the difference.

But he was trained in the use of both.

If he thought he was in danger then why not use that as a defense instead of the laughable story he put forth?