Uncle of man shot on Oakland train station platform rejects former officer’s letter of apology

Uncle of shooting victim rejects letter of apology

OAKLAND, Calif. — The uncle of an unarmed man fatally shot by a former transit police officer has harsh words to describe a letter of apology from the officer.

Speaking outside an Oakland church Saturday night, Oscar Grant’s uncle, Cephus Johnson, rejected the letter released Friday, terming it a “ploy.”

Johnson said he and the Grant family didn’t believe the words in Johannes Mehserle’s handwritten note, saying it’s an attempt at gaining the judge’s sympathy before sentencing.

Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter by a Los Angeles jury Thursday for the 2009 fatal shooting of the 22-year-old Grant on a train platform in Oakland.

Mehserle’s lawyer, Michael Rains, tells the San Francisco Chronicle he will seek a delay in Mehserle’s Aug. 6 sentencing. Rains did not immediately return a call Sunday from The Associated Press seeking comment.