The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
February 9, 2009

Ex-Police Officer in Oakland Transit Shooting Freed on $3M Bail
---------------------------------------------------------------



And back in the United States, the former Oakland police officer who
fled California after shooting and killing an unarmed African American
transit passenger has been freed on bail. The former officer, Johannes
Mehserle, was caught on videotape shooting twenty-two-year-old Oscar
Grant in the back while Grant was lying face down on the ground on a
subway platform. Grant worked as a butcher at an Oakland grocery store
and was the father of a four-year-old daughter. Mehserle’s $3 million
bail was posted by unknown sources. BART Police Chief Gary Gee drew
controversy after encouraging officers to support Mehserle’s bail.
Mehserle was released just as several protesters were arraigned for
taking part in a protest against the killing that led to more than 100
arrests.



.