Raheim Brown Jr., a 20-year-old resident of Alameda, California, was fatally shot by officers of the Oakland Unified School District police force on January 22, 2011, outside Skyline High School. Police reports say Brown, seated in the passenger seat of a car, allegedly attempted to stab an officer with a screwdriver and Sgt. Barhin Bhatt fired five times, striking Brown twice in the head, once in the chest, and once in each arm. The police narrative described the shooting as necessary to protect officers.

Tamisha Stewart, the only civilian witness in the car, disputed that account, saying the screwdriver was being used to hotwire the vehicle and remained in the ignition and that Brown did not pose a threat justifying lethal force. Sgt. Jonathan Bellusa, who was present, gave a different account in deposition, saying Bhatt fired two shots at Brown’s chest before his gun jammed and then fired five more shots after Brown was already incapacitated; Bellusa later sued the district alleging pressure to conform his account to Bhatt’s.

Significant discrepancies between witness testimony and the police narrative, together with calls for an independent investigation, drove community concern and legal action. Does anyone have additional verifiable details or firsthand information about the shooting or its immediate aftermath?