Sentencing pushed back to November in California train shooting case; no reason given

Nov. sentencing date in Calif. train shooting case

LOS ANGELES — Sentencing has been delayed until November for a white former transit officer convicted in the shooting death of an unarmed black man in California.

A court release said Wednesday that the hearing for Johannes Mehserle (yoh-HAH’-nes MEZ’-ur-lee), originally set for Aug. 6, was moved to Nov. 5. It did not give a reason.

A jury last week found Mehserle guilty of involuntary manslaughter instead of second-degree murder for killing Oscar Grant on an Oakland train platform last year. Mehserle faces up to 14 years in prison.

Mehserle’s conviction sparked a wave of protests that resulted in damage to about 30 businesses and the arrests of dozens of people. The trial was moved from Alameda County to Los Angeles because of racial tensions and intense media coverage.