Quote :

"Yes, lets ignore the fact that a taser sits on the opposite side of the belt in a different position"

However, the taser was set up for a cross-body draw, so either way his right hand would have been used to draw the weapon. He had 6 hours of training with the taser, though I'm sure he spent many more hours at a firing range with his pistol. He more than likely fell back on muscle memory in the excitiment and drew his pistol by mistake.

Quote :

"Both Rains and Stein had Meyer address six prior cases nationwide where officers mistakenly drew firearms instead of Tasers. In each of those cases, the Taser was holstered so the officer’s dominant hand would draw it, and a single shot was fired as opposed to the two or three rounds that are customary when using lethal force. Mehserle’s Taser was set up for a draw with his dominant hand, and he fired a single shot into Grant’s back. The defense contends that the shooting was accidental and that Mehserle, 28, meant to draw his Taser instead of his gun. But Stein pointed out that, unlike the officers in the other incidents, Mehserle was wearing his Taser on the side of his body opposite his gun, and also highlighted the fact that Mehserle did not tell anyone at the time that he had drawn his gun by mistake. In the other cases, the officers who accidentally fired immediately and repeatedly said that they had made a grave mistake. Stein said that one officer yelled something to the effect of “Oh my god, I put the f– Taser on the wrong side!” before breaking down in tears, and that another repeated “Oh my god” before saying “I really screwed up” and later told his colleagues “I’m sorry I ruined the Tasers for you guys.” None of the six other cases discussed led to a murder charge."

http://www.californiabeat.org/2010/06/28/mehserle-defenses-use-of-force-expert-falters-during-cross-examination

7/9/2010 3:46:30 PM

Reminder that he originally said he drew his gun because he thought the suspect was reaching for something

and then he changed his story after he lawyered up

7/9/2010 3:59:03 PM

Any word on a civil suit? Should be worth a few million at least.

7/9/2010 4:06:52 PM

^^ Link?

Everything that I've found on it says that he never made a statement before finding legal defense, and went as far as to resign from BART so that they couldn't force him to make a statement by threatening to firing him.

Unless you can back up your claim then I think it's clear that you have no clue what you're talking about.

[Edited on July 9, 2010 at 4:23 PM. Reason : ,]

7/9/2010 4:07:29 PM

Regardless of this guy's jail time, he should never be allowed to work in law enforcement again.

Even if he's a good person with nothing but good intentions, a fuck up that bad means that he cannot be trusted to carry a gun.

7/9/2010 6:31:05 PM

I have watched the videos that are out there (unfortunately having to see a man's death) and it looks to me as if the Cop shot him in cold blood. I didn't see any real reaction of "Oh my God I just accidentally shot and killed this guy when I meant to tase him!". In fact I didn't see any obvious reaction at all. 4 year is a joke for this. It was murder and the cop should pay the price for that. Unfortunately he never will.

7/9/2010 7:23:18 PM

Well he won't have any protection when he's released in four years. If I were him I'd disappear as soon as I got out of jail.

Speaking of which, how long is a four year sentence in California? 13 months?

[Edited on July 9, 2010 at 8:54 PM. Reason : assuming he lives through prison, of course.]

7/9/2010 8:54:25 PM

^I sincerely doubt that he's going to be murdered in retaliation.

Cops routinely get away with shooting undeserving people.

We don't actually fight back.

7/9/2010 9:42:01 PM

Quote :

"SAN FRANCISCO -- The former San Francisco Bay area police officer convicted of killing an unarmed black man in an Oakland train station wrote a letter apologizing to the victim's family, saying he'll forever "live, breathe, sleep and not sleep" with memories of the "terrible event," according to a copy released by his lawyer Friday. Johannes Mehserle said in the handwritten letter that he "never intended" to shoot 22-year-old Oscar Grant, who died of a gunshot wound to the back after being pulled off a Bay Area Rapid Transit train on New Year's Day 2009. The emotional letter is dated July 4, four days before a Los Angeles jury convicted him of involuntary manslaughter. "For now, and forever I will live, breathe, sleep, and not sleep with the memory of Mr. Grant screaming "You shot me" and putting my hands on the bullet wound thinking the pressure would help while I kept telling him "You'll be okay!" Mehserle said in the letter, released by attorney Michael Rains. Thursday's verdict outraged Grant's family and touched off violent protest in Oakland, where the case has enflamed racial tensions. July 8: A demonstrator holds a sign in front of a moving police line in Oakland, Calif., after a guilty verdict for Johannes Mehserle. The former San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer was found guilty in Los Angeles for shooting unarmed black man Oscar Grant on New Year's Day 2009 at a BART station in Oakland. Mehserle, 28, testified during his trial that he struggled with Grant and saw him digging in his pocket as officers responded to reports of a fight at a train station. Fearing Grant may have a weapon, Mehserle said he decided to shock Grant with his Taser but pulled his .40-caliber handgun instead. Grant was shot as he lay face-down. The jury found that Mehserle didn't mean to kill Grant, but that his behavior was still so negligent that it was criminal."

7/9/2010 10:23:52 PM

My guess as to what happened is that he was so used to pulling out his sidearm to intimidate suspects. He did it once too many, and forgot one of the cardinal rules of firearm ownership. Only point your weapon at things you intend to shoot at.

7/9/2010 11:00:59 PM

My guess is that he made a mistake and accidentally drew and fired his gun instead of his taser, which is obviously what the jury believed as well. He knew he was in deep shit as soon as it happened, so he quit and fled the state to avoid having to make a statement or deal with the lynch mobs.

7/9/2010 11:05:10 PM

MURDERER

7/10/2010 1:42:13 AM

Are murders always worse than killings?

7/10/2010 2:19:26 AM

wait, wait, wait, ....wait.......





....they design tasers to look and feel like guns? as in, guns that shoot bullets? as in, bullets that kill people? jesus christ.

7/10/2010 2:53:52 AM

Quote :

"That's a brilliant comparison, as teachers are trained on how to fuck students because they often find themselves in situations where they have to fuck students in the line of duty. In closing, you are a fucking retard."

Ever heard of innate training?

an police aren't trained to MURDER anyone. They are trained to serve and protect. Thats the problem the police state advocates think its ok to murder criminals.

7/10/2010 2:51:29 PM

Quote :

"they design tasers to look and feel like guns?"

Yeah this surprises me also. Maybe something should be done about this.

7/10/2010 2:58:30 PM

Quote :

"an police aren't trained to MURDER anyone. They are trained to serve and protect. Thats the problem the police state advocates think its ok to murder criminals."

Oh, I get it, you don't understand the difference between murder and the justified use of lethal force. In your next post you'll probably say that all white cops are racist.

Also, I'd like to use this post to reiterate that you are a fucking retard.

7/10/2010 7:16:03 PM

justified use of lethal force is not murder. If you are PROTECTING someone and the suspect doesn't make it, it wasn't murder was it?

Murder is when american police kill people that aren't a lethal threat. Usually men and usually of color.

Quote :

"Published on Wednesday, June 9, 2010 by Associated Press Mexico Anger High after US Border Patrol Kills Teen CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — Mexicans are seething over the second death of a countryman at the hands of U.S. Border Patrol agents in two weeks, an incident near downtown El Paso that is threatening to escalate tensions over migrant issues. The grieving sister and mother of the dead teenager who was shot by a US Border agent. (AP Photo) class="inside-copy">U.S. authorities said Tuesday a Border Patrol agent was defending himself and colleagues when he fatally shot the 15-year-old as officers came under a barrage of big stones while trying to detain illegal immigrants on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande. About 30 relatives and friends gathered late Tuesday to mourn Sergio Adrian Hernandez Huereka, whose shooting Monday evening came along the border with Texas. He died on the Mexican side of the river. "Damn them! Damn them!" sobbed Rosario Hernandez, sister of the dead teenager, at a wake in the family's two-room adobe house on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez. Preliminary reports on the incident indicated that U.S. officers on bicycle patrol "were assaulted with rocks by an unknown number of people," Border Patrol Special Operations Supervisor Ramiro Cordero said Tuesday. "During the assault at least one agent discharged his firearm," he said. "The agent is currently on administrative leave. A thorough, multi-agency investigation is currently ongoing." The shooting happened beneath a railroad bridge linking the two nations, and late Tuesday night a banner appeared on the bridge that said in English: "U.S. Border Patrol we worry about the violence in Mex and murders and now you. Viva Mexico!" Less than two weeks ago, Mexican migrant Anastasio Hernandez, 32, died after a Customs and Border Protection officer shocked him with a stun gun at the San Ysidro border crossing that separates San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico. The San Diego medical examiner's office ruled that death a homicide. Mexican President Felipe Calderon said Tuesday that his government "will use all resources available to protect the rights of Mexican migrants." The government "reiterates its rejection to the disproportionate use of force on the part on U.S. authorities on the border with Mexico," the president added in a statement. On an unpaved street, gathered around Hernandez's gray metal casket, the teen's family called for justice. "There is a God, so why would I want vengeance if no one will return him to me. They killed my little boy and the only thing I ask is for the law" to be applied, said the boy's father, Jesus Hernandez. His mother was less hopeful. "May God forgive them because I know nothing will happen" to them, Maria Guadalupe Huereka said. Above the casket was a photo of the youth wearing his soccer uniform and his junior high school grade cards, which showed A's and B's. His mother said he was a good student who never got in trouble. He was the youngest of five children, played on two soccer teams and had just finished junior high school, she said. The case took a testy turn when U.S. and Mexican officials traded suggestions of misconduct in the incident. Arturo Sandoval, a spokesman for the Chihuahua state Attorney General's office, said a spent .40-caliber shell casing was found near the body — raising the question of whether the fatal shot was fired inside Mexico, although he did not explicitly make that allegation. That would violate the rules for Border Patrol agents, who are supposed to stay on the U.S. side of the border. A U.S. official, meanwhile, said video shows the Border Patrol agent did not enter Mexico. The official, who agreed to discuss the matter only if not quoted by name, said the video also shows what seem to be four Mexican law enforcement officers driving to the edge of the dry but muddy bed of the Rio Grande, walking across to the U.S. side, picking up an undetermined object and returning to Mexico near the area where the boy's body was. Like their U.S. counterparts, Mexican law officers are not authorized to cross the border without permission. According to the FBI, Border Patrol agents were responding to a group of suspected illegal immigrants being smuggled into the U.S. near the Paso Del Norte bridge, across from Ciudad Juarez around 6:30 p.m. Monday. One suspected illegal immigrant was detained on the levee on the U.S. side, the FBI said in a statement. Another Border Patrol agent arrived on the concrete bank where the now-dry, 33-foot (10-meter) wide Rio Grande is, and detained a second person. Other suspects ran back into Mexico and began throwing rocks, the FBI said. At least one rock came from behind the agent, who was kneeling beside a suspected illegal immigrant whom he had prone on the ground, FBI spokeswoman Andrea Simmons said. The agent told the rock throwers to stop and back off, but they continued. The agent fired his weapon several times, hitting one who later died, said the FBI, which is leading the investigation because it involved an assault on a federal officer. The agent was not injured, Simmons said. Chihuahua state officials released a statement demanding a full investigation into the death. The boy was shot once near the eye, Sandoval said. Authorities were still investigating the bullet's trajectory, he said. Sandoval said he couldn't comment on the video reported by the U.S. official because he didn't know anything about it. "I am unaware about those hypotheses," he said. Sandoval said Mexican investigators were questioning three teenagers who were with the victim at the time of the shooting. The boy's sister, Rosario, told Associated Press Television News that her brother was playing with several friends and did not plan to cross the border. "They say that they started firing from over there and suddenly hit him in the head," she said. The boy's mother said he had gone to eat with his brother, who handles luggage at a border customs office. While there, he met up with a group of friends and they decided to hang out by the river, she said. "That was his mistake, to have gone to the river," she said in an interview with Mexico's Milenio TV. "That's why they killed him." Mexico's Foreign Relations Department said its records indicate the number of Mexicans killed or wounded by U.S. immigration authorities rose from five in 2008 to 12 in 2009 to 17 so far this year, which is not half over. T.J. Bonner, president of the union representing Border Patrol agents, said rock throwing aimed at Border Patrol agents is common and capable of causing serious injury. "It is a deadly force encounter, one that justifies the use of deadly force," Bonner said"

7/10/2010 8:47:11 PM

Oh, I get it, you don't understand the difference between police officers and US Border Patrol agents.

7/10/2010 9:10:58 PM

^^ Do you know what homicide means? I know you are a troll and everything, but you could at least try.

7/11/2010 2:51:01 AM