patrick.net

A federal civil jury on Tuesday ruled that former BART officer Johannes Mehserle's fatal shooting of Oscar Grant III at the Fruitvale BART station in 2009 was accidental and denied monetary damages to the slain Hayward man's incarcerated father.

"This was a tragic accident, and that's what the jury found today," said Mehserle's attorney Michael Rains. "I think this is going to close the chapter involving Johannes Mehserle, Oscar Grant and what happened on that platform on Jan. 1, 2009."

The jury's ruling, reached after less than five hours of deliberation, echoed the far more emotional criminal trial in 2010 in which Mehserle faced murder charges but ultimately was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

In addition to denying the claims of Grant's father, Oscar Grant Jr., the civil jury on Tuesday also ruled in favor of BART officer Marysol Domenici, accused by Grant III's best friend Johntue Caldwell of using excessive force against him immediately after Grant III was shot. The case against Domenici was brought by Caldwell's mother Zeporia Smith, who began championing her son's case after he was fatally shot at a Hayward gas station in 2011.

Nearly $3 million in settlements already have been paid out to Grant III's mother, girlfriend, daughter, and friends who were detained alongside him on the BART platform early New Year's Day, 2009. Grant Jr. and Caldwell's lawsuits were the only ones related to the high-profile killing to reach a civil jury.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_26069468/civil-jury-rules-favor-johannes-mehserle-denies-award