The preliminary hearing for former BART police Johannes Mesherle concluded today. Over the seven days of the hearing, the defense and prosecution heard from numerous witnesses including BART police Anthony Pirone. According to The Oakland Tribune, yesterday Pirone admitted that Grant posed no threat  while he was handcuffed and lying on his stomach before he was shot. Pirone himself has come under fire from the community for not being charged with assault after it was brought to light that he struck Grant earlier in the incident.

Now here to stand trial is 27-year-old Johannes Mesherle, a former BART police officer accused of shooting and killing 22-year-old Oscar Grant this past New Year's. In videos that have surfaced on the internet since that tragic night, audiences with a computer or with television access can see a glimpse of what happened. With a handcuffed Grant lying on his stomach, hands behind his back, Mesherle (who claims he was going for his taser gun) pulls out his service gun and shoots Grant.

Judge C. Don Clay’s decision to push ahead with a murder trial brings up a variety of feelings. Some conservatives feel that Mesherle made a mistake, but shouldn't be punished harshly for it. On the other hand, many community members have grown up witnessing police abuse of power. They have seen their loved ones hurt or have themselves been harrassed by people in power. The officers charged with murdering Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo, and the vicious beating of Rodney King were all found not guilty. We don’t want the outcome to be the same. When explaining his decision, Judge Daly said he felt Mesherle intended to shoot Grant, a message many people want the jury to decide and rule on in the coming months.

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We've been following this story since the begining, click here for a complete list of posts from Youth Radio about the Oscar Grant case.

You might also be interested in this interview of witness Karina Vargas, whose video footage was shown during the hearing: