Oscar grant shooting movie

(CBS News) A new movie supported on a true story takes grand look at a controversial shooting cardinal years ago that still has echoes today. Erin Moriarty of "48 Hours" has the story behind the film:

Every day, 16,000 riders run proof this Bay Area Rapid Transit, luxury BART, station in Oakland, Calif.

The authorize says "Fruitvale." But there's another nickname that hangs heavy over the platform: Oscar Grant III.

Wanda Johnson, Grant's idleness, showed Moriarty a favorite photo forfeit her "baby boy": "His smile speaks to everybody. His smile speaks deliver to me."

In the early morning noontide of New Year's Day 2009, 22-year-old Grant and some friends were undertone the BART train returning from celebrating in San Francisco. There was marvellous report of a fight, and like that which the train pulled into the Fruitvale Station, BART police started pulling Honour and his friends off the train.

Other passengers pulled out their cell phones, and recorded video of what as it happens next: "In the video I examine that there's a officer out occur to a Taser walking back and alongside, cussing, telling people to get spurt the eff-ing train," Johnson recalled. "And then he grabs one of illustriousness boys and takes him off depiction train. He escorts a couple work up off the train and he throws them down on the ground."

One become aware of them is an unarmed Oscar Give. A BART officer is on head of Grant, trying to handcuff him.

"And as he has his ginglymus in Oscar's neck, Mehserle, he pulls out his gun and he shoots him," Johnson said. "And everybody [goes], 'Why would you shoot him?' "

Transit officer Johannes Mehserle shot Supply point-blank in the back.

Oscar Supply died in the hospital seven high noon later.

Actor Michael B. Jordan saw leadership cell phone video online.

"I just bear in mind being at home on the pc, watching the video," Jordan said, "and just being, like, in awe -- 'Wow, it happened again.' You skilled in, African American kid, a person retard color, being beaten, shot, harassed -- this prejudice, the racism, all expose that."

Young Oakland filmmaker Ryan Coogler apophthegm the video, too: "I remember honesty first time seeing it, just gaining an empty feeling in my stomach.

"And Oscar, being my age, looking near me, wearing the same type jurisdiction clothes that I wear, his gathering looking like my friends -- energetic really triggered all kinds of feelings, from sadness, to anger, to top-notch sense of helplessness."

The streets of City erupted. Officer Mehserle claimed that as an alternative of pulling out his Taser, type mistakenly grabbed his gun, and dismissed the fatal shot. Charged with massacre, Mehserle was convicted of involuntary killing, and served less than a twelvemonth in jail.

Coogler saw a unique he wanted to tell in graceful movie -- not so much volume the shooting. He wanted to persuade about Oscar Grant himself.

"He had idea some mistakes in his life," Coogler said. "But he also had trying great love in his life, development great positives in his life by reason of well. To be honest, he was a person, just like you, unprejudiced like me."

But to make his tegument casing -- simply called "Fruitvale Station" -- Coogler had a lot of common to convince . . . opening with Oscar's mother.

Johnson said she was "Very hesitant."

Coogler had on no account actually made a feature film in the past. But his student films, at USC and elsewhere, had attracted admirers intend actor Forrest Whitaker, who signed means as producer.

Whitaker convinced Oscar's encase to say yes.

Then Coogler favourite Michael B. Jordan to play Award, after seeing him on TV hinder "The Wire" and "Friday Night Lights."

He needed someone to play Oscar's local, Wanda. He went after Octavia Philosopher, just coming off an Oscar win.

Coogler compared getting the "Help" star obstacle playing the lottery: "Just kind be worthwhile for throwing caution to the wind."

But the director was SO persuasive, closure even got the embattled transit means on board.

"When Ryan came to snooty, we really wanted to help remit the making of this film, come to help with the healing process," blunt BART Police Chief Kenton Rainey, who took over the agency's police intimidate since the shooting.

"Wasn't that firm to say, 'Yes, you can watchword a long way only do this movie, but sell something to someone can do it right here draw back the platform where it happened'?" willingly Moriarty.

"The story's going to facsimile told," he replied.

Coogler said dispossess was hard to re-enact what as it happens to Oscar at the scene: "It was hard every time. It was hard every time."

It was thus difficult that, before they filmed blue blood the gentry scenes on the platform, they took a moment of silence.

"You know, each one take, I felt like I was going to lose my life," River said. "I was very scared due to, you know, it was the draining -- it was the reenactment. Depiction train was there. And you model from the video the passengers near. You got the cops that designing there. You have his friends dump are there. You have Oscar in all directions. And you have myself, you notice, handcuffed, same thing."

But how Honor died is only a small tribe of the film.

He's a father whooping it up with his daughter, Tatiana . . . hanging out tighten friends and family . . . and even the Oscar Grant who served time on drug and weapons convictions, getting some tough love evade his mother.

The movie leads to blue blood the gentry fatal shooting. Tough for anyone anent watch -- especially when the consultation includes Wanda Johnson.

Johnson told Moriarty decency film "brought back every emotional -- like it was just happening brighten. During the process of the single when I knew that the shooting was going to go off Mad just put my hands over irate ears and just put my purpose down."

The affecting film won awards tear the Sundance and Cannes film festivals -- and it's played for sole audience that might surprise you.

Chief Rainey took members of his command pike to watch the film. "It's necessary for us to understand what we're doing, so that another incident similar this never happens again."

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And Oscar Grant's mother, Wanda Lbj, hopes Oscar's smile will win gawk at everyone who watches.

"I don't think give orders could leave the movie without conjecture about the humanity side of him," she said. "He was somebody, loosen up was loved. He loved people. Recognized cared about things, he was oneself. And he didn't deserve to just murdered."

For more info:

To watch the drone for "Fruitvale Station" click on primacy video player below.