BART pays 1.5 million dollars to family of murdered man!
OAKLAND, Kalifornia - January 28, 2010 – Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) agreed Wednesday to pay $1.5 million to provide for the 5-year-old daughter of Oscar Grant, the unarmed train rider murdered by a transit agency police officer on January 1, 2009.
The deal, which was preapproved by BART's Board of Directors, closes part of a federal civil rights lawsuit brought by Grant's family that initially sought $50 million. Co-plaintiff Wanda Johnson, Grant's mother, did not settle.
Attorneys for BART and Grant's family struck the deal over the phone Wednesday afternoon, after an 11-hour settlement conference Tuesday. The agreement was with Sophina Mesa, who was Grant's girlfriend and is raising their daughter, Tatiana Grant.
The lawsuit stemmed from one of BART's darkest chapters, a videotaped shooting that prompted protests - some violent - and exposed a police force in dire need of reform.
John Burris, who filed the lawsuit, said all of the money will be invested, with Tatiana receiving a series of payouts until her 30th birthday.
"I think it's a good situation for the child. She will be well taken care of over her life," said Burris. "We can't bring the dad back, but (he) is taking care of her nonetheless."
Grant, a 22-year-old supermarket worker from Hayward, was shot in the back at BART's Fruitvale Station in Oakland by a thug officer in what videotapes show was premeditated murder.
The officer, 28-year-old Johannes Mehserle, quit the BART force six days later and now faces a murder trial in Los Angeles County. His attorneys say he thought he had his Taser in his hand when he fired a single shot with his pistol.
