An officer involved in the fatal shooting of Oscar Grant at Oakland’s Fruitvale train station in 2009 has been found responsible for instigating and elevating the situation.
The reveal is apart of a 10-year-old report that has now become available due to the new police transparency law in California. Inside the report, it is said Bay Area Rapid Transit Officer Anthony Pirone not only “started a cascade of events that ultimately led to the shooting of Grant” but also lied about the encounter.
The detail states Officer Pirone’s statements resulted in viewing “actions and conduct in a more favorable light.”
According to CNN, additional details reveal Pirone hit Grant and called him the N-word during the encounter. When speaking with investigators, Pirone stated Grant kicked his partner in the groin, which was different from what was captured by a video of the moment.
The report came from a law firm that was brought into to provide an assessment of the officers involved in the New Year’s Day shooting in 2009.
Over a year after the death of Grant, officer Johannes Mehserle was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, however, the report details Pirone as the spark of the fatal shooting. The investigation concludes Pirone was “responsible for setting the events in motion that created a chaotic and tense situation on the platform, setting the stage, even if inadvertent, for the shooting of Oscar Grant.
Included in the report was interviews with officers and witnesses. Pirone participated but Mehserle refused. In the investigation, Pirone detailed he and his partner responded to fights on the train. His account included Grant attacking his partner and the thought of “I’m fighting for my life at this point.” The details provided by Pirone were unfounded in the investigation.
BART spokesman James Allison confirmed when the investigation was done, officer Pirone was fired.
