The video footage of two police officers forcing an unarmed black man to the ground and shooting him in the back as they intervened after a fight in a BART station fueled massive and violent street protests.

The phone recording of the killing was posted on the Internet. The video clearly shows the two officers forcing him to the ground although he raised his hands as a sign of cooperation at some point. A struggle followed and a 2-year veteran officer pulled his gun and shot 22-year-old Oscar Grant in the back while his colleague was holding him face-down.

The incident happened at a BART station. BART is the San Francisco Bay Area's commuter rail system.

The attorney of the victim’s family argued that the two police officers also used racial slurs during that struggle. Despite the video footage, the officer who gunned down Oscar Grant is still free and has not been charged with any wrongdoing so far. According to some experts, the police officer may have mistakenly fired his gun believing that he had the stunt gun in his hand.

The transit police officer, Johannes Mehserle, has been placed on paid leave, but on Wednesday resigned from the BART police force. He refused to speak with investigators or the media about what happened. His attorney, Christopher Miller, wouldn’t comment on the investigations.

The family of the victim has filed a $25 million wrongful-death claim against BART. The Grants also want the transit police officer who shot Oscar to be criminally charged.

Meanwhile, the brutality seen by many in the video recording and the fact that the police officer who fired wasn’t prosecuted and is still free drew violent protests in San Francisco especially amid the local African-American community. Although there is no evidence that Oscar Grant was shot because the color of his skin, the leaders of the African-American community expressed their anger about the incident.

John Burris, an attorney for Grant's family, said the officers did use racial slurs to the group which had been involved in a fight, there is no evidence that officer Mehserle directed racial slurs toward Oscar Grant.

San Francisco police deployed extra personnel at the Bay Area Rapid Transit stations after groups of protesters smashed storefronts, set fire to cars and clashed with officers. Police arrested about 100 demonstrators and more than 300 businesses in downtown Oakland suffered damages.

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums called for calm and “a degree of civility” despite the anger.

"I don't want anybody hurt. I don't want anybody killed."

BART’s directors apologized to the victim’s family. They promised a thorough investigation into the killing which happened early on New Year’s Eve on the platform at the Fruitvale Station in Oakland.