There is something eerily reminiscent about the shooting of Oscar Grant in Oakland, California in the early hours of New Year's Day. According to reports the 22 year old was shot whilst being arrested in a BART (metro) station. Video footage was has come to light shows that Grant was on the ground with his hands handcuffed behind his back when the police officer fired his weapon.
BART officials have said Grant was unarmed and implied the shooting was an accident, saying the officer's gun discharged while he and four other officers responded to reports that two groups of young men were fighting on a train that had come from San Francisco and was en route to the Dublin/Pleasanton station.
As with the Alexis Grigoropoulos shooting the first reaction of the police was to blame the victim to officially state that the person killed had caused the incident. In both situations it seems that these organisations have forgotten that respect for the law doesn't come from the barrel of a gun.
News of the killing sparked off riots which resulted in hundreds of arrests. Once again blogs, Youtube Twitter, Flickr and other internet sources have been at the forefront of events. Thanks to Lane Hartwell for being part of the effort to get the story out.
Here is video of the incident taken from the train.
Here is video taken by a passer - by.
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