California Attorney General Jerry Brown to intervene in the Bart shooting investigation after meeting with State NAACP Leaders
On New Year's day, 22 year-old Oscar Grant was shot and killed by Officer Johannes Mehserle of the Bay Area Rapid Transit Authority or (BART). The shooting was captured on cell phone video and posted on YouTube where it has been viewed by Millions of Americans. Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Chief Gary Gee said that the agency is "committed to completing an unbiased, thorough and detailed investigation" of the shooting death of Oscar Grant.
Now, more than a week after the shooting, The Alameda County District Attorney's Office hasn't decided if they will pursue criminal changes.
On January 9th, California NAACP President Alice Huffman met with California Attorney General Jerry Brown to call for his intervention. After meeting with the California NAACP, Attorney General Jerry Brown held a Press Conference in his office where he said, "The wheels of justice cannot grind so slowly that it appears that justice is not being served." He went on to question why Alameda County District Attorney Tom Orloff would need two weeks to decide whether to prosecute the officer.
AG Brown said he will send a high-ranking deputy to Orloff's office to meet with the prosecutor's staff, observe the investigation and report back to him. "I want to make sure that we're pushing this along," Brown said.
California NAACP President Huffman reported that if District Attorney Orloff doesn't prosecute, the NAACP will ask the U.S. attorney's office to file federal civil rights charges against Officer Mehserle.
