"Calif. officer convicted in shooting; Racial tension as manslaughter verdict decried" by Greg Risling, Associated Press | July 9, 2010
LOS ANGELES — A white former transit officer was convicted of involuntary manslaughter yesterday in the shooting death of an unarmed black man on an Oakland train platform in a 2009 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 as he lay face-down.
Mehserle, who had contended he thought he was shooting Grant with a
Grant’s mother, Wanda Johnson, stared at the jurors and appeared upset....
On the east side of San Francisco Bay, police in riot gear were deployed on the streets of Oakland. Later yesterday, a crowd broke into a
A crowd near Oakland City Hall moaned and cursed when they heard the verdict. A dozen people gathered in a semicircle to pray....
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a statement urging Californians to remain calm and not resort to violence. Schwarzenegger said he had informed Oakland’s mayor, Ron Dellums, the state was well prepared to assist in maintaining order....
The jury included eight women and four men, none of whom listed his or her race as black. Seven said they were white, three were Latino, and one was Asian-Pacific. One declined to state a race. They left the courthouse under tight security....
At least five bystanders videotaped the New Year’s Day shooting in what was among the most racially polarizing cases in California since four Los Angeles officers were acquitted in 1992 in the beating of Rodney King.
The case was a rare instance in which a police officer stood trial for an on-duty killing that was captured on video from so many different angles....
--more--"
And just like before:
SAN FRANCISCO — The Department of Justice’s civil rights division will investigate a white former transit officer who was convicted in state court of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of an unarmed black man — a verdict that touched off angry protests and more than 80 arrests in Oakland.
In a move reminiscent of the Rodney King beating case in Los Angeles, the federal government said it intends to investigate Johannes Mehserle, who was found guilty Thursday on lesser charges in the death of 22-year-old Oscar Grant....
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
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.
Yesterday, Mehserle’s lawyer released a handwritten letter from his client to Grant’s family, apologizing for the shooting.
Mehserle wrote that he will forever “live, breathe, sleep and not sleep’’ with the memory of Grant dying on the train platform.
And that guy you killed will never do any of those things.
Mehserle said he would live every day “knowing that Mr. Grant should not have been shot.’’
The letter is dated July 4, four days before his conviction.
The verdict enflamed racial tensions in Oakland, where at least a dozen businesses were damaged after the jury reached its decision in Los Angeles.
Protesters looted an athletic footwear store and ransacked a jewelry shop.
The windows of a bank were smashed, fires were set in several trash bins, and an incendiary device was detonated near a police station but caused no damage.
Police said they made 83 arrests throughout the night for violations that included failure to disperse, vandalism, and assaulting a police officer.
--more--"
Yup, time to go to sleep, readers.
The Grim Sleeper
"Man arrested in ‘Grim Sleeper’ killings" by Associated Press | July 8, 2010
LOS ANGELES — Police arrested a man in the city’s “Grim Sleeper’’ serial killings yesterday after decades of frustrated investigations into at least 11 slayings going back 25 years, authorities said....
Neighbors of the South Los Angeles house where the arrest was made described the man who lives there as friendly and quiet. They said he was often seen working on cars in his front yard and would sometimes stop to chat with passersby.
The case has dogged police even though they had the killer’s DNA and a description from a survivor, and they had offered a $500,000 reward....
--more--"And that isn't the worst of it, snore:
"Murder suspect had arrest record
LOS ANGELES — Probation and jail records show that the 57-year-old man charged with 10 homicides in the Grim Sleeper case was arrested at least 15 times over four decades and was in police custody many times after the killings began. The Los Angeles Times reported yesterday that the arrests of Lonnie David Franklin for crimes including burglary, car theft, and assault were never considered serious enough to send him to state prison or to warrant his entry in the state’s DNA database (AP)."
Oh, I am WIDE AWAKE now!!!
"Calif. man who killed alleged molester sentenced to 9 years" by Associated Press | June 16, 2010
UKIAH, Calif. — A man who said he had been sexually abused by a family friend since he was a child was sentenced to nine years in prison yesterday for shooting him with a Civil War-style pistol and watching him die.
Aaron Vargas, 32, showed little emotion as his punishment was announced in the vigilante killing.
His sister Mindy Galliani noticed his lips were trembling — a sure sign he was about to cry.
“It’s not over. We’re going to appeal,’’ Galliani said after her brother shuffled away, hands and feet shackled. “It’s clear that the justice system still doesn’t have an understanding of childhood sexual abuse.’’
They don't understand a lot of things.
Will get you killed:
"Car thief suspect, 15, is shot, killed
BAKERSFIELD — A 15-year-old suspected of driving a stolen vehicle was shot and killed by Bakersfield police, investigators said yesterday. Officers began pursuing the car about 9:20 p.m. Friday. They said the driver, Traveon John Avila, stopped but then backed into a patrol car after being approached by two officers. The officers fired multiple times, striking the teen, who was pronounced dead at a hospital. A 17-year-old passenger was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy and auto theft (AP)."
Time to get going, readers.
