Report: Officer escalated events that led to fatal shooting

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A newly released report says a former BART police officer who pulled Oscar Grant from a train 10 years ago was largely responsible for setting events in motion that ended with a second officer fatally shooting Grant.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports Thursday the document by a law firm, which BART hired to run its internal investigation, long ago prompted the firing of the officer, Anthony Pirone. The report was released Wednesday under California’s new police transparency law.

The report also casts doubt on former BART Officer Johannes Mehserle’s defense in court, in which he claimed he intended to use his Taser, not his gun. Mehserle resigned shortly after the shooting. A Los Angeles County jury convicted him of involuntary manslaughter and he was sentenced to the minimum of two years behind bars.

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Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com