In the Johannes Mehserle trial yesterday, a witness testified that a frustrated Johannes Mehserle shouted "Fuck this" before reaching for his gun and shooting Oscar Grant in the back that fateful New Year's morning. The witness, Jackie Bryson, was a friend of Grant's and was handcuffed on his knees near the victim at the time of the shooting.

The testimony, while very contentious, may corroborate another witness who claimed that Mehserle had threatened to Tase Grant and may have been reaching for his Taser when he grabbed his gun instead.

But when defense attorney accused Bryson of attempting to leave his dead friend on the train platform, things turned dramatic. Bryson claimed he was in shock after the shooting, and video evidence shows him trying to flee onto a BART train, handcuffs and all, immediately after incident.

"He come up and shoot us, and you want to make us look bad, dog?" Bryson said under cross-examination, becoming emotional. "I would never stand up and shoot somebody in their back. You want to make me look stupid, like I'm the bad one? Come on, now." The judge had to tell everyone to take a deep breath... Dramatic, right?

80% of black residents surveyed and 33% of white residents already believe Johannes Mehserle is guilty in the case of the New Year's shooting death of Oscar Grant, therefore his attorney Michael Rains is arguing for a change of venue. In papers filed last week, Rains said the trial should be moved out of the Oakland area on account of these racial divisions. Meanwhile, four of the six BART police officers involved in the incident that night have quietly returned to work, while Mehserle and one two other officers remain on paid leave.