Situations in which police open fire on a person they are attempting to arrest usually involve the claim that the suspect reached for a weapon. Given the many reports of brutality and cowboy tactics on the part of police stateside, it isn't a stretch to believe that a percentage of officers need little encouragement to pull the trigger.

This week video footage surfaced from Oakland, CA, that shows a BART-police officer shooting an unarmed man point blank. The shooting occurred in Fruitvale Station early on New Year's day.

The deceased man, Oscar Grant, was 22 years old and father of a four year old daughter. He worked for an Oakland supermarket. Friends who knew him say he was a great guy with a big heart.

An altercation broke out on a train traveling from San Francisco to the East Bay. There is no evidence Grant had been directly involved in the altercation.

According to eye witnesses the officer involved restrained Grant on the Fruitvale platform. It is believed Grant was placed in 'flexi-cuffs' along with others.

The cop drew his gun and shot Grant point blank. Some reports say he was shot in the head, however the attorney for the family, John Burris, says the bullet passed through the lower back area and re-entered Grant's body in a ricochet effect.


SFGate has more on recent developments in the case:

(Attorney) John Burris held his own news conference at his Oakland office, where he was surrounded by Grant's family members and friends and witnesses to the shooting.

Burris said he plans to file a $25 million claim this week against BART - a legal precursor to a civil lawsuit - because, he says, witness statements and video footage recorded by other passengers make clear that the shooting was unjustified.

"It is, without a doubt, the most unconscionable shooting I have ever seen," said Burris, who has won several damage awards against Bay Area police departments and worked on Rodney King's civil suit against the city of Los Angeles. "A price has to be paid. Accountability has to occur."

"It's pretty clear from the tape and from witnesses," Burris said, "that (Grant) wasn't doing anything of a threatening nature to the officer."

The video footage was shot by Karina Vargas who was trying out a new video camera she was given as a Christmas gift.