Ex-Transit Cop Enters Not Guilty Plea for Murder Charge

2009-01-19 19:57:09 (GMT) (WiredPRNews.com - Law, News)

A former transit officer pleads not guilty in the shooting death of an unarmed man.

Wired PR News.com – Former transit police officer, Johannes Mehserle, entered a not guilty plea for the New Year’s Day shooting of an African American man. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), the 27 year old was said to have shot Oscar Grant in the back as Grant lay restrained facedown. Witnesses captured video footage of the occurrence, which has been posted online, and served as a source of outrage for many, who protested to demand Mehserle be arrested for murder.

Charmine Jones, who is related to the shooting victim, is quoted in the AP report as stating in regards to not getting to see the defendant in court, “I just wanted to see his face, see if there’s some kind of remorse to help me sleep at night because all I see in the video is my nephew’s eyes begging for his life.”

Mehserle resigned from the police force soon after Grant’s shooting. He is currently in police custody and has a scheduled court date for January 26.