[Jeff Higgins]

It will be interesting to see if the "tazer mistake" story gets some legs. For anyone familiar with the two weapons, the initial and only reaction will be "no flippin' way". I have handled all manner of handgun extensively, and a few models of tazer as well. There is no way an even marginally sentient being could ever confuse the two. It would take me less than a day to train my dog to identify them.

I'm afraid if this story does develop into "the story", it will only be due to the public's general ignorance regarding these matters. It will happen only if the BART transit police, or their legal counsel, make a conscious decision to take advantage of the general public's lack of knowledge. The same lack of knowledge that worries them concerning citizen review boards...

One recent example of this approach was the murder of Peyton Strickland at the hands of deputy Christopher Long. Long fired through Strickland's front door as he was approaching it from inside his home to answer it after deputies and officers had knocked. Long claimed he had mistaken the dull thud of the SWAT battering ram on the outside of the front door for the sharp crack of gunfire coming from inside the home. The reaction from everyone who has ever so much as fired a gun was "no way". Including the other officers and deputies standing right next to Long at the time. Their stories changed over time, by the way, as the "battering ram" story became the "official" story...

But, that was the story they pushed and the story that stuck. The general public bought it, most having no experience in such matters. Deputy Long got away with murder. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the tazer become Mehrserle's "battering ram".