Oscar Grant's family critical of Mehserle appeal

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The mother of a BART passenger shot and killed by a BART officer is criticizing a request by Johannes Mehserle to get his conviction overturned.

A jury found Mehserle guilty of involuntary manslaughter for shooting Grant at an Oakland BART station three years ago. Grant was an unarmed passenger.

Grant's mother, Wanda Johnson, and other family members held a news conference. They say they are outraged Mehserle wants to be an officer again. The former BART officer served a jail sentence but is now pursuing an appeal because he cannot get another law enforcement job with a felony conviction on his record.

"To allow someone back on the force like that would be a disgrace to our community, to our society, and it would be a slap in the face to me and my family," Johnson said.

Mehserle has contended all along that the shooting was accidental. He claims he thought he had drawn his taser and not his gun.

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lawsuit, civil rights, johannes mehserle, trials, BART, oscar grant, east bay news

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