California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Tuesday the state's Department of Justice will conduct an independent review of BART officer Anthony Pirone's role in the 2009 police shooting death of Oscar Grant.
"Transparency is critical to building and maintaining trust between law enforcement and the communities we serve," Bonta said in a statement. "The California Department of Justice is committed to conducting a thorough, fair, and independent review and will go where the facts lead."
"It's basically what we've been asking for the last, basically, 11 years," Cephus Johnson, Grant's uncle, told KCBS Radio on Tuesday.
Alameda County Disrict Attorney Nancy O'Malley said in January her office wouldn't charge Pirone with a criminal offense, explaining "there is no evidence to suggest that he possessed an express intent to kill Mr.
Grant." The conclusion and 16-page explanation followed a four-month investigation by O'Malley's office.
Just days after O'Malley's announcement, the BART Board of Directors called for Pirone's prosecution.
"It's been a long many years of struggle, going back and forth to get some form of justice," Johnson added.
According to BART police, Pirone hauled Grant off a train at the Fruitvale station on New Year's Day 2009 and used racial epithets as he pinned Grant's neck with his knee. Moments later, Grant was shot in the back by former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle.
The incident was captured on video and widely distributed, leading to nationwide outrage and protests calling for racial justice.
Mehserle was charged with murder and convicted of involuntary manslaughter. He served 11 months in prison and was released in June 2011.
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