Thaindian News

By Meena Kar
Nov 6, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Johannes Mehserle was sentenced to two years in prison by the Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Robert J. Perry. In spite of most people in Oakland hoping for a 14 year sentence for the former BART police officer, the jury and the judge said that most of the evidence pointed towards the fact that the killing of Oscar Grant was by accident. Johannes Mehserle was charged with involuntary manslaughter and some reports suggest that he could be eligible for parole after half of his sentence. If all goes well for the former cop, he could be serving slightly more than 7 months in the controversial case.

Inside the courtroom, judge Robert J Perry said that evidence showed that Johannes Mehserle accidentally reached for the firearm instead of a Taser gun. The colleagues of the former had also testified that Johannes Mehserle was intending to use the Taser and not a firearm when he was trying to subdue Oscar Grant. While the judge spoke, Oscar Grant’s mother, relatives and other supporters rushed out of the courtroom and told the media outside that her son did not get justice.

The sentencing was followed by a tearful apology from Johannes Mehserle. He said that no matter what he said, he would not be able to heal the wounds that he had caused. The case was shifted to a court in Los Angeles after authorities in Oakland realized that Johannes Mehserle might not get justice in the city due to the racially charged nature of the case. The news of the sentence was also followed by mass protest across Oakland and as many as 50 arrests were made on Friday night.