Judge Expected To Allow Release Of Johannes Mehserle
OAKLAND (CBS 5) - The former Bay Area Rapid Transit officer who shot an unarmed passenger to death may soon be released from prison.
Johannes Mehserle has served eleven months of a two-year sentence for the New Years Day 2009 shooting of Oscar Grant III. A judge is expected to grant leniency, allowing him to be released as soon as mid-June.
Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for shooting Grant on the Fruitvale Station platform as a train brought revelers home following New Year's Eve celebrations.
Mehserle claimed that he mistook his gun for a taser.
A federal civil suit related to the shooting is still pending.
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