murder

RECENT POSTS

November 11, 2011 | 11:53 AM | By

Violence and the 99 percent – Occupy Oakland shaken by city’s harsh reality

Ali Winston

An unidentified man meditates in front of police tape cordoning off a murder scene in Frank Ogawa Plaza on Nov. 10, 2011.

Use of force by police undeniably an issue in Oakland, as demonstrated by the injuries sustained by Scott Olsen, Kayvan Sabeghi and several other protesters, apparently at the hands of police over the past few weeks during clashes with Occupy Oakland supporters. Street violence is also a familiar story in Oakland – last night’s murder was a tragically familiar narrative. Reportedly, the shooting stemmed from a physical altercation between two groups of young African-American men earlier that day over a marijuana deal. Yesterday afternoon, one of the people involved returned with a posse, chased the young man through the camp, and beat him before shooting him multiple times in the head.

As expected, Oakland politicians such as East Oakland Councilmember Larry Reid and Mayor Jean Quan took the shooting as conclusive evidence that Occupy Oakland must pack up and go. The Oakland Police Officers’ Association also weighed in with their own open letter to Occupy Oakland this morning. Oakland politics treat murder as an immutable fact that needs to be spun to particular political means. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Community, murder, Oakland, Oakland Police Department, Occupy Oakland
November 10, 2011 | 10:40 PM | By

Man slain yards from Occupy Oakland encampment

Ali Winston

Police cordon off a portion of Frank Ogawa Plaza where a man was fatally shot on Nov. 10, 2011

An unidentified man was shot to death following an argument that devolved into a fistfight in Frank Ogawa Plaza this afternoon, on the one-month anniversary of the Occupy Oakland encampment. According to several witnesses, the victim was shot at least twice in the head in Frank Ogawa Plaza near the Sankofa Boutique and Western Federal Credit Union. The man collapsed several feet in front of an entrance to the 12th Street-City Center BART station, where he was first treated by Occupy Oakland medics and then emergency medical personnel.

The incident started when an altercation between two groups of young men broke out near the medic tent at Occupy Oakland. Emma, a camper who did not want her last name to be used, said she saw a large group of people clustered around two feuding groups, trying to defuse the situation. Shortly thereafter, a fight broke out and spilled over from the encampment to a sidewalk area in front of the Western Federal Credit Union. Al, a homeless veteran who has slept at Ogawa Plaza for the past month, said he saw a group of young men chasing another man run by him, then heard four to six shots.

According to Interim Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan, the shooting victim died from his wounds at Highland Hospital. No arrests have been made, and no weapons have been recovered, Jordan said.  Several campers did not recognize the shooting victim. There are conflicting reports as to whether the dead man had ties to the camp. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Police, murder, Oakland, Oakland Police Department, Occupy Oakland
October 4, 2011 | 3:26 PM | By

Suspect arrested in Monday night Bernal Heights murder

San Francisco Police arrested a man this morning in connection with a murder that took place last night in Bernal Heights. Around 9:30 PM, SFPD officers were called to the 400 block of Franconia Street, just west of Highway 101, for a report of shots fired.

Officers found a 28-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the head inside a house. The man was pronounced dead at the scene – according to the San Francisco Medical Examiner, the victim’s identity is being withheld pending notification of kin. Media reports have identified the victim as Richard Ray Fowler.

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Police, Bernal Heights, murder, San Francisco, San Francisco Police Department
September 30, 2011 | 7:35 PM | By

Suspect charged with West Oakland murder of Roberto Guzman

Oakland Police Department

Michael Peau, 22, is charged with the Sept 24 murder of Roberto Guzman in West Oakland

The Alameda County charged a 22-year-old man this afternoon with the fatal shooting of Roberto Guzman on September 24th.

Guzman, 20, was shot to death in front of his house on the 3200 block of Hannah Street in West Oakland shortly before noon that day.

Michael Peau was arrested by the Oakland Police Department’s Major Crimes Section in Mosswood section of North Oakland on the evening of Wednesday, September 28th.

Two firearms were recovered in the course of the investigation. Peau has reportedly denied his involvement in Guzman’s killing.

Peau, 22, was charged with homicide by the Alameda County District Attorney.

FILED UNDER: Police, arrest, murder, Oakland, Oakland Police Department, West Oakland
September 29, 2011 | 4:19 PM | By

SFPD arrest 2 in Sept. 17 Sunset murder, including suspect trying to flee country

Craftside

San Francisco and Oakland are experiencing a violent summer

San Francisco police arrested two men in connection with the September 17th murder of Edgar Yegiyan, a 22-year-old Sunset District resident who was shot to death on 35th Avenue and Rivera.

According to police Yegiyan was smoking a cigarette outside a friend’s house when he was approached by two suspects on foot around 1:17 AM. The men shot Yegiyan multiple times in the torso with an assault rifle, then took off running. Yegiyan died at the scene

Konstantin Solodukhin, 22, was arrested by SFPD Airport Bureau officers around 2:44 PM mere hours before he was scheduled to leave the country on a one-way flight. Sgt. Mike Andraychak said inspectors were not ready to disclose Solodukhin’s destination. Solodukhin’s alleged accomplice, Oren Zakhrabov, also 22 years old, was arrested near his residence in the South of Market neighborhood.

Prosecutors have yet to announce charges against Solodukhin and Zakhrabov.

FILED UNDER: Police, arrest, murder, San Francisco, San Francisco Police Department, Sunset District
September 29, 2011 | 10:38 AM | By

SFPD arrest juvenile in murder of Hogs & Rocks cook

San Francisco Police Department

San Francisco Police announced today they are charging a juvenile suspect with the murder of Gaspar Poch-Tzek, a 22-year-old line cook at Mission District restaurant Hogs & Rocks. Poch-Tzek was shot on the evening of August 30th while taking a cigarette break on 19th Street and San Carlos. According to Mission Station Captain Greg Corrales, Poch-Tzek’s assailants were Nortenos who demanded whether the cook was a member of the Sureno gang.

Poch-Tzek was shot and killed even thoguh he denied any affiliation. SFPD Lieutenant Troy Dangerfield said police have no indication the cook had gang ties, “He was just a worker,” Dangerfield said.

The 15-year-old suspect, whose identity is being withheld because he is a minor, was already being held at the Juvenile Justice Center for an unrelated charge when SFPD arrested him for Poch-Tzek’s killing. Lieutenant Dangerfield said the arrest was the result of significant community cooperation with Homicide and Gang Task Force inspectors. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Police, Gaspar Poch-Tzek, Mission District, murder, San Francisco, San Francisco Police Department
September 26, 2011 | 10:40 AM | By

Three deaths, including fatal police shooting in Oakland over weekend

Three people died over the weekend in Oakland, including a suspect who fled from a traffic stop and was shot by OPD officers after resisting arrest.

The first death took place at the Alta Bates Medical Center around 4:05 AM, when a replacement nurse administered a fatal dosage of non-prescribed medicine to 66-year-old Oakland resident Judith Ming. According to police, Ming had been receiving treatment at the hospital since July 2011. OPD investigators were summoned to the scene by Alameda County Coroner’s deputies and are investigating Ming’s death.

Later that Afternoon, a man was murdered shortly before noon on the 3200 block of Hannah Street in West Oakland. Police officers responding to reports of a shooting found a 20-year-old Roberto Guzman suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Guzman was pronounced dead at the scene. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Police, murder, Oakland, Oakland Police Department, Officer-involved shootings
September 21, 2011 | 4:17 PM | By

One dead, two wounded in AM North Oakland shooting

Ali Winston

Police markers indicating shell cases at the scene of a Sept. 21, 2011 murder on 52nd Street in North Oakland

A 31-year-old man was shot dead and 24-year-old man is in stable condition today following a chaotic shooting in the 800 block of 52st Street this morning. Witnesses identified Remilio Myers, 30, as the slain man, claiming that he and the wounded man were targeted by four gunmen.

Oakland Police were notified of the shooting around 11:30 AM. According to witnesses, Myers was helping his elderly mother off her East Bay paratransit bus when a car pulled up and four men armed with handguns jumped out and began shooting. Witnesses say Myers sprinted into the parking lot of a yellow apartment building on the south side of 52nd street with two gunmen in hot pursuit, cornering him inside the building and shooting him an unspecified number of times.

At the same time two other shooters chased an unidentified man onto the porch of a blue house on the opposite sidewalk, shooting him an unspecified amount of times. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Police, murder, North Oakland, Oakland, Oakland Police Department