Video of a cop shooting an unarmed suspect has sparked outrage in San Francisco and calls for an investigation, report the San Francisco Chroncle. The videos, taken by passengers and obtained by local station KTVU, shows Oscar Grant, 22, seated against a subway wall apparently pleading with police. He is then put face-down on the ground. One officer kneels on his his back while another unholsters a gun and fatally shoots Grant in the back.
The New Year's Day shooting is "unconscionable," said a lawyer for the dead man's family, who have filed a $25 million claim against the BART transit system where the killing occurred. The chief of BART police said the "devastated" officer has been placed on leave and appealed for the public to be patient while the shooting is investigated. Transit officials are considering the possibility that the officer had intended to fire a Taser at Grant but drew his service weapon by mistake. (More shooting stories.)