Oakland Transit Cop Gets 2-Year Sentence
With time served he only has about a year to go : A judge sentenced a white former transit officer to two years in prison Friday in the shooting death of an unarmed black man on a California train platform, angering friends and family members of the victim who wanted a much harsher punishment. The case has provoked racial unrest at every turn, and police in Oakland were on alert for more problems following a sentence that many thought was too light. Defendant Johannes Mehserle had faced a possible 14-year maximum term after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors sought prison time for Mehserle, whose lawyers argued for probation. Perry said Mehserle has served nearly 150 days in custody and with credit for time served, he has 293 days applied to his sentence, nearly cutting it in half. Despite the attempts by the race activists to claim this was premeditated murder, it was clearly an accidental shooting and the sentence is probably appropriate. You might want to stay out of Oakland this weekend.
Oakland Transit Cop Gets 2-Year Sentence
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on November 5, 2010. Filed under