Keepingitreal

Oakland cop cleared of Bailey case misconduct

The Oakland police sergeant who led the investigation into the 2007 slaying of a newspaper editor has been cleared of internal charges that he compromised the probe to keep the leader of Your Black Muslim Bakery from being implicated, The Chronicle has learned.Sgt. Derwin Longmire was told last week that acting Police Chief Howard Jordan had ordered that he be returned to duty. Longmire has been on paid leave for six months while the Police Department considered whether he should be fired for misconduct in investigating the killing of Oakland Post Editor Chauncey Bailey. Jordan and other police officials concluded that Longmire should serve a five-day suspension for minor problems with other homicide cases, but that the 23-year department veteran had done nothing wrong in the Bailey probe, sources close to the investigation said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been made public. Longmire's attorney, Michael Rains, said details such as what Longmire will do when he goes back to work were still being worked out. He had been reassigned from the homicide unit to the patrol detail before being put on leave.

"I think we have a tentative agreement, but nothing has been signed off," Rains said late Tuesday.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/21/MNA018SIVK.DTL#ixzz0UaKoJgL0

Oakland crash victim was a film editor

(05-18) 19:26 PDT Oakland -- Todd Anthony Perea had just left his film-editing job and was looking forward to spending Saturday night relaxing at his Brentwood home. At 6:41 p.m., he was driving his Mazda south on Martin Luther King Jr. Way at Aileen Street in North Oakland just as a 41-year-old Berkeley man was crossing the street at the corner.Perea and the pedestrian had no idea that six minutes earlier and less than three miles away in west Berkeley, a man had been shot numerous times and killed with at least one assault weapon. Now, a Cadillac carrying four suspects was barreling toward them, with Berkeley police in pursuit.The Cadillac, driven by 22-year-old Stephon Anthony, ran a stop sign at the corner of Aileen and Martin Luther King and smashed into the Mazda, killing 27-year-old Perea, police said. The Mazda then spun into the pedestrian's path before coming to rest against a building. The pedestrian, whose name wasn't released, died at a hospital.In an instant, the busy street corner was transformed into a horrifying tableau of mangled car parts, wailing sirens and shattered lives.An avid sports fan and UC Santa Cruz graduate, Perea worked as a contract employee for a production company that was filming scenes at the North Oakland Senior Center just a block from where the crash occurred."Todd Perea was the type of person who always had a kind word for everyone," his cousin, Jennifer Aden said Monday. "He had an infectious smile and was known to be quite a good-natured prankster. He was not only the most positive person around, but also level-headed and mature for someone so young."Anthony, who works an electrician, and one of his three passengers, 26-year-old salesman Anthony Price of Oakland were each arrested on three counts of murder and could be formally charged Tuesday in Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland.Two other men who ran from the Cadillac were still being sought, Officer Andrew Frankel, Berkeley police spokesman said Monday.The suspects are believed to have used one or more assault weapons to fatally shoot 25-year-old Charles Davis at 10th Street and Allston Way in west Berkeley in what police said may have been a retaliatory strike by a rival North Oakland faction.But Davis' grandmother, Corinne Carroll, 84, said he had been attending Central State University in Ohio and may have been a victim of mistaken identity. "I know of no reason, because he's never been in trouble," she said. " I mean, I haven't heard him curse anybody."A preliminary review showed that police followed proper protocol in deciding to chase the Cadillac, as it contained suspects wanted for a violent felony, Frankel said. "We have a very strict pursuit policy," he said. "This pursuit was very much within policy." CONTINUE READING..

Suspects in Berkeley slaying crash, killing 2

Excerpt from SFGATE.COM ~ A car carrying four suspects in a Berkeley homicide slammed into a vehicle in North Oakland while fleeing from police Saturday evening, killing two people - one a motorist, the other a pedestrian - in a horrific chain-reaction crash, police said.The crash happened at 6:41 p.m. at the corner of Aileen Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Oakland, six minutes after police received reports of a shooting in West Berkeley that left a young man dead, authorities said.The suspects crashed their Cadillac into a Mazda at the busy intersection, killing a motorist. That car then spun into the path of a pedestrian - killing that person - before coming to rest against a building, said Berkeley police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss."It was quite a mangled scene," Kusmiss said.The names of the victims in the shooting and the crash weren't immediately released.Two suspects were arrested in the Cadillac after the collision, and the Berkeley police SWAT team, K-9 units and the Oakland police helicopter were searching late Saturday night for the two others who ran from the vehicle.The crash victims' deaths are the latest involving Bay Area motorists and pedestrians who have been killed as a result of suspects on the run.A 34-year-old Oakland woman who didn't want her name used said she was walking her two dogs when she heard sirens and saw a car being chased by police east on Aileen. The car then barreled into a sedan heading north on Martin Luther King Jr. Way."That car just goes flying," she said. "Everything is spinning and smashing into the building. The two of them got out of the car and ran. They hopped into a backyard."Moments before the crash, she said, she had seen a man crossing the street. She said she didn't know if he had been hit.he said she had mixed feelings about what she had witnessed."I don't know why these guys were running from them, why they just didn't stop and why this had to end in some horrible tragedy," she said, adding, "I feel that the police were completely doing their job, but it's a residential area. People were out walking on the street."The series of events began at 6:35 p.m. when Berkeley police received reports of a shooting near the corner of 10th and Allston streets in West Berkeley, Kusmiss said. A young man was found dead at the scene from numerous gunshot wounds, police said.Police saw four men fleeing in a tan Cadillac and began chasing it through West and South Berkeley before it crashed.The crash happened outside the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, the biomedical research arm of Children's Hospital Oakland, which is located several blocks away.Martin Luther King Jr. Way is a busy thoroughfare marked by numerous "senior crossing" signs, warning motorists to slow down because of the number of elderly residents who live at the nearby Sojourner Truth Manor retirement home.The crash was a grim reminder of the dangers posed by police pursuits.In the Bay Area, innocent motorists have been killed in recent years in Berkeley, Concord, El Sobrante, Hayward, Oakland, Pinole and San Francisco.Police in many cities are authorized to continue a chase if the person being pursued is suspected of a violent crime, such as a homicide. Some police agencies abort pursuits if the dangers involved outweigh the benefits of arresting the suspects, especially those wanted for relatively minor infractions such as speeding.In general, a police officer is allowed to pursue suspects into a neighboring city as long as a supervising officer approves it, police say, and it's customary for dispatchers to notify their counterparts when pursuits cross city lines. CONTINUE READING...

Ex-BART cop's lawyers press case against D.A.

(05-13) 17:06 PDT OAKLAND -- Lawyers for a former BART police officer charged with murdering an unarmed passenger pressed their case to disqualify the district attorney's office Wednesday, after the state acknowledged that two Oakland policemen had tried to question the officer without a lawyer but argued it was not illegal.The volley of legal filings came as both sides prepared for Monday's preliminary hearing in Alameda County Superior Court to determine whether there is enough evidence to try Johannes Mehserle for murder in the Jan. 1 shooting death of Oscar Grant.Grant, 22, of Hayward, was shot in the back while lying on the platform at BART's Fruitvale Station in Oakland, where officers were holding him after an early morning fight on a train. Mehserle's lawyers say the 27-year-old officer thought he was firing his Taser stun gun. He is free on $3 million bail.A hearing is also scheduled Monday on a request by Mehserle's lawyers to remove District Attorney Tom Orloff and his office from the case because of Orloff's attempt to interrogate Mehserle in jail. If Orloff is disqualified, state Attorney General Jerry Brown's office would take over the prosecution.Mehserle was charged with murder Jan. 13 and arrested later that day in Douglas County, Nev. According to police records cited by Mehserle's lawyer, Michael Rains, Orloff sent two Oakland officers to Nevada to arrest and question Mehserle. When they were unable to locate him, attorney Christopher Miller, who was then representing him, arranged Mehserle's surrender, Rains said.Miller then visited Mehserle in jail. After he left, the two police officers arrived, read Mehserle his rights, and departed when he invoked his right to remain silent, the officers' notes said.In a motion filed April 28, Rains argued that Orloff had knowingly violated Mehserle's right to his lawyer's presence during interrogation.The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1964 that once a suspect is charged and has a lawyer, prosecutors and their representatives can't question the suspect outside the lawyer's presence.Defendants usually rely on that ruling to exclude evidence of any statements they made. In this case, Rains argued, Orloff's actions amounted to a criminal conspiracy as well as a violation of State Bar ethical standards. CONTINUE READING..

Bakery leader indicted in journalist's slaying

(04-29) 17:48 PDT OAKLAND -- More than a year and a half after Oakland Post Editor Chauncey Bailey was gunned down while walking to work, an Alameda County grand jury indicted the leader of the now-defunct Your Black Muslim Bakery on Wednesday on charges that he ordered the journalist killed.The indictment accuses Yusuf Bey IV, 23, of murder for allegedly telling two followers to kill the 57-year-old Bailey on Aug. 2, 2007. The grand jury that returned the indictment heard two days of testimony last week from the alleged gunman, Devaughndre Broussard, 21, who until Wednesday was the only person charged in Bailey's death. Broussard, a former handyman at the bakery, told prosecutors in March that Bey wanted Bailey dead because he believed the journalist was working on a story about Your Black Muslim Bakery's internal problems. He said Bey also blamed Bailey for the 2003 death of his father, Yusuf Bey, who founded the black self-empowerment group in 1968 and led it until dying of cancer. In addition to Bailey's slaying, the indictment accuses Bey of murder for allegedly ordering the killings of two men in July 2007, 36-year-old Michael Wills and Odell Roberson Jr., 31. He is also accused in a December 2006 incident in which someone shot into an unoccupied car in Oakland. The charges carry the special circumstance of multiple murder, meaning that Bey, if convicted, could be sentenced to death. Prosecutors have not said whether they will pursue the death penalty. Another bakery figure, Antoine Mackey, 23, was also indicted on murder charges in the shootings of Bailey, Roberson and Wills.  He and Bey are scheduled to appear in Alameda County Superior Court on May 6. Both are already in custody, Bey on unrelated kidnapping and torture charges, and Mackey for a burglary conviction. Earlier Wednesday, Bey was ordered to stand trial on six counts stemming from the kidnapping case. CONTINUE READING

Editor's confessed killer says he was 'conned'

He may have been a cold-blooded killer and "soldier" in Your Black Muslim Bakery, but Devaughndre Broussard was crying like a child after a few minutes alone with bakery leader Yusuf Bey IV. That night in August 2007, Broussard - who had just been caught trying to get rid of the shotgun used the day before to kill Oakland Post Editor Chauncey Bailey - held out for hours under police interrogation. Suddenly, Oakland police presented Broussard with Bey, a man who, although just two years his senior, he had trusted and followed - but who had just identified him to investigators as Bailey's killer. Broussard demanded to talk to Bey alone. In those moments, Bey's power over his follower was supreme. Bey had ordered him to shoot the journalist, Broussard said, but now he was telling him he had to take sole responsibility for the good of the bakery, a black self-empowerment group that had been an Oakland institution for nearly 40 years. He promised him an easy life in return once he got out of prison. Broussard, then 19, was far from a gullible weakling. When he turned against Bey last month and told his story to an Alameda County prosecutor, Broussard - the hardened product of housing projects and group homes - made it clear he knew the reality of the streets. He had even read Machiavelli, he said.

A way to get a job, diploma

In his year at the bakery, Broussard had developed a skepticism bordering on contempt toward the "con" that Bey was running - "that religious s-," being pushed by a young man with a couple of houses and luxury cars who called on his followers to sacrifice. But at the same time, he embraced the bakery's discipline as a way to get a job, earn a high school diploma, then get a college education - because, he said, "I knew I was destined for something." Only too late, he said, did he realize he had thrown his life away. Devaughndre Broussard grew up in housing projects and group homes in San Francisco's Western Addition and, later, with his father in Richmond. By 18, he was a high school dropout jailed for robbery. But at points in his childhood, he had shown potential. When he was 15, Broussard took part in a mentorship program at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and won a $100 savings bond for showing how best to invest a hypothetical $1 million. Now, a day before he was to get out of San Francisco jail in July 2006, a friend asked him what he intended to do. "S-! Go back to the 'hood," Broussard, who is now 21, said during a five-hour interview in March with Deputy District Attorney Chris Lamiero, the prosecutor in the Bailey case. SOURCE:SFGATE.COM

Bailey slaying defendant testifies against Bey

(04-21) 12:47 PDT OAKLAND -- The man accused of fatally shooting Oakland journalist Chauncey Bailey testified before a grand jury today that he was ordered to commit the killing by the leader of Your Black Muslim Bakery, his attorney said. Devaughndre Broussard, 21, a former handyman at the now-defunct black self-empowerment group, has struck a plea agreement with Alameda County prosecutors under which he agreed to testify against bakery leader Yusuf Bey IV and another bakery figure, Antoine Mackey. In exchange, Broussard has agreed to plead guilty to two counts of voluntary manslaughter, for the 2007 killings of Bailey and Odell Roberson, and be sentenced to 25 years in state prison. Broussard began his testimony at 10:40 a.m. in the Wiley Manuel Courthouse in downtown Oakland, about 12 blocks from where Bailey, 57, was shot to death by a masked gunman Aug. 2, 2007, as he walked to work. Broussard, the only person charged with Bailey's murder, told an Alameda County prosecutor last month that he committed the killing on Bey's orders. Broussard said he had pulled the trigger on a high-powered rifle, firing enough shots to make sure "it ain't no coming back," and that Mackey had driven the getaway van. Bey was angry about reporting that Bailey was doing for the Oakland Post on the bakery's internal and financial problems, Broussard said. Bey also held a grudge against Bailey for reporting the journalist supposedly did that "killed" Bey's father, who founded the bakery in 1968 and died of cancer in 2003, Broussard said. Bey also kept a list of "people that he wanted to get rid of," Broussard told the prosecutor. The grand jury is considering whether to indict Bey and Mackey on murder charges. Broussard gave his testimony in secret, and under grand jury rules, there is no cross-examination from attorneys for the targets of the proceedings. Bey's attorney, Anne Beles, has said her client had nothing to do with Bailey's death. Bey, 23, is in jail awaiting trial on unrelated charges of kidnapping two women and torturing one of them. Broussard's attorney, LeRue Grim, said of his client, " I would describe him as living in a hell. He's really suffering from all this. He feels this is the right thing to do." Grim said Broussard was "deeply remorseful" for the killings of Bailey and Roberson, the uncle of a man who had been convicted of killing Bey's brother Antar Bey. "He knows it all," Grim said. "Everything he says is corroborated by the surrounding circumstances and other witnesses. He has been involved in some things that are not noble. But what he is saying is a very noble thing, and these are people who are being called to account for egregious crimes." Also at the courthouse was Broussard's mother, who asked that her name not be used. She said she was there to support her son. When Broussard joined the bakery in 2006 after being released from state prison for a robbery conviction, "I thought it was a good thing," she said. Broussard told Bailey prosecutor Chris Lamiero last month that at first he had done odd jobs and errands for the bakery, and had later been used on "security details." When she heard her son had confessed to Bailey's slaying, she said, "I figured, if you did it, you've got to suffer the consequences." Later, when her son recanted and said Bey had pressured him to admit to the killing, she said she was mystified. Broussard is expected to testify the rest of the afternoon and possibly Wednesday as well. SOURCE:SFGATE.COM

Grand jury to probe Oakland editor's slaying

EXCERPT FROM SF CHRONICLE ~ (04-15) 22:43 PDT Oakland -- The man accused of fatally shooting Oakland journalist Chauncey Bailey has entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors and is expected to testify before a grand jury next week that he was ordered to carry out the killing by the leader of Your Black Muslim Bakery, sources told The Chronicle Wednesday. Devaughndre Broussard, 21, a bakery handyman, has also indicated that he will say that Yusuf Bey IV ordered at least two other killings committed the month before Bailey was killed on Aug. 2, 2007. Broussard's attorney confirmed Wednesday that his client will admit he personally carried out the slaying of the 57-year-old Oakland Post editor as well as the retribution killing of the uncle of the now-convicted killer of Bey IV's brother, Antar. Broussard is the only person now charged with murdering Bailey. He was arrested the day after a masked gunman attacked the journalist as he walked to work on a downtown Oakland street. A grand jury has been impaneled to consider whether to indict Bey IV in Bailey's killing and other charges in light of the deal that will send Broussard to prison for a 25-year term on two counts of voluntary manslaughter. Some investigators have long suspected Bey of having been complicit in the killing, and recently revealed that evidence points to his having ordered Broussard to carry it out.  Broussard confessed to the killing after he was put in a room alone with Bey while both men were in the custody of Oakland police. He later recanted, saying Bey had pressured him to "take the fall." A judge had ordered Broussard to stand trial for murder in May. The former lead investigator into the killing, Sgt. Derwin Longmire, who put Bey and Broussard together in the room before the confession, was placed on paid leave by the Police Department this week.  Department officials accused Longmire of insubordination and compromising a police investigation, disciplinary charges that could get him suspended or fired.

Secret testimony

The grand jury - a group of citizens who hear testimony and then decide whether to indict - does not allow for witnesses to be represented by lawyers. Those witnesses are subpoenaed by the district attorney, and their testimony is given in secret. An indictment stands in lieu of a preliminary hearing, in which a judge decides whether there is enough evidence to bring a defendant to trial.The impaneling of the grand jury in the Bailey killing was confirmed by sources close to the case, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the secrecy of the proceedings. Chris Lamiero, the Alameda County deputy district attorney prosecuting the Bailey case, declined to comment Wednesday. Officer Jeff Thomason, an Oakland police spokesman, also declined to answer questions. Broussard's attorney, LeRue Grim, said late Wednesday that the deal was struck after his client realized that Bey IV was "not his friend," adding that Broussard then decided he would go to prosecutors to "straighten it all out." Bey's attorney in other bakery-related charges, Anne Beles, has said repeatedly that her client had nothing to do with the Bailey killing. Bey has been jailed since August 2007, awaiting trial on unrelated charges of kidnapping and torture.  The grand jury probe of Bey is the latest chapter in the increasingly troubled history of the bakery, once a beacon of opportunity in Oakland's impoverished black community. CONTINUE READING...

Oakland Police Memorial Services: Oracle Arena

Dozens march for Mixon, against police

(03-25) 20:36 PDT Oakland -- About 60 people marched and rallied in Oakland on Wednesday to condemn the police and honor Lovelle Mixon, who was killed by Oakland police after he fatally shot four officers Saturday. "OPD you can't hide - we charge you with genocide," chanted the demonstrators as they marched along MacArthur Boulevard, near the intersection with 74th Avenue where Mixon, 26, a fugitive parolee, gunned down two motorcycle officers who had pulled him over in a traffic stop. He killed two more officers who tried to capture him where he was hiding in his sister's apartment nearby. The protest was organized by the Oakland branch of the Uhuru Movement, whose flyers for the march declared, "Stop Police Terror." Many marchers wore T-shirts featuring Mixon's photo, including a woman identified by march organizers as Mixon's mother. The woman declined to comment and gave her name only as Athena. Lolo Darnell, one of Mixon's cousins at the demonstration, said, "He needs sympathy too. If he's a criminal, everybody's a criminal." Asked about police allegations that Mixon was suspected in several rapes, including that of a 12-year-old girl, marcher Mandingo Hayes said, "He wasn't a rapist. I don't believe that." Bystanders had mixed reactions. Nicole Brown said that she can't condone murder but that police don't respect residents of the area. Daria Belt said she had no sympathy for the protesters but sympathized for Mixon's family. SOURCE:SFGATE.COM

Oakland holds vigil for 4 slain officers

The brutal deaths of four Oakland police officers prompted an outpouring of sympathy Tuesday, from makeshift memorials to donations to a vigil that drew hundreds to the scene of some of the weekend's bloodshed.The night before, the last officer critically wounded in the incident was taken off life support. John Hege, 41, was declared brain dead Sunday, but family members kept him on life support until Monday to donate his heart, liver and kidneys, in keeping with his wishes, said Alameda County Medical Center spokeswoman Andrea Breaux. At Oakland police headquarters, so many cards, flowers and prayer candles had been left at the side entrance that people coming in and out of the building had to squeeze past the condolences. Inside, a row of oversized floral displays perfumed the lobby. Nearby stood an easel bearing a black T-shirt printed with the words "Rest in Peace" and silkscreened images of the four officers killed. "Oakland needs to be healed," Rev. John Clark of Praise Fellowship Church told the crowd gathered for the evening candlelight vigil. "Guns needs to be laid down, and communication needs to be picked up." Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums thanked the crowd for coming out and said that President Barack Obama had reached out to offer sympathies to the families of the slain officers. He then made a plea for peace. "Hopefully this opens a widening door to a vision of a community without violence, without killings, without war," he said. "Go in peace." After the vigil, dozens of people gathered at a makeshift memorial for Lovelle Mixon, the parolee accused of shooting the four officers before being killed in a gunfight. A funeral for the officers was scheduled for Friday morning at Oracle Arena. Meanwhile, thousands of dollars in donations for the officers' families continued to pour in, including a $10,000 gift from a Southern California Indian tribe. Police said Hege and his partner, Sgt. Mark Dunakin, were gunned down when the two motorcycle officers pulled over Mixon on Saturday. In the manhunt that followed, two more officers — Sgt. Ervin Romans, 43, and Sgt. Daniel Sakai, 35 — died when the city's SWAT team stormed an apartment where Mixon was hiding. Mixon was killed in the shootout. Acting Police Chief Howard Jordan commended a bystander who rushed to the aid of the officers shot at the traffic stop. Clarence Ellis tried to stop Dunakin's bleeding before first responders arrived, the chief said. "He did an outstanding job, and he took action that most citizens probably would not take," Jordan said. The day before the traffic stop, Oakland investigators had gotten information possibly linking Mixon to a February rape. DNA found at the scene was a probable match to Mixon, police spokesman Jeff Thomason said. In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle published Tuesday, Lt. Kevin Wiley said the victim in that rape case was a 12-year-old girl who was threatened at gunpoint, dragged off the street and sexually assaulted in a secluded area between homes. Investigators also told the Chronicle that Mixon may have committed as many as five other rapes in the area. Wiley did not return a call by The Associated Press, and Thomason refused to discuss details of the rape case Tuesday. California prison records show that authorities also had issued a warrant for Mixon's arrest after he missed a mandatory meeting with his parole officer on Feb. 19. The incident has prompted California's attorney general to call for better monitoring of parole violators. Prison and court records show Mixon, 26, had served nearly five years in state prison for assault with a firearm during an armed robbery in San Francisco. More recently, he served several months in prison last year for a parole violation. Mixon also was a suspect in a December 2007 murder but was never charged because of lack of evidence, officials said. Mixon's family members said he recently had been upset that he was unable to find work, felt his parole officer was not helping him and feared he would be arrested for a parole violation. During traffic stops, police often check vehicle records to find whether the driver has outstanding warrants. But police have not disclosed how exactly Saturday's shootings unfolded, citing a pending investigation. "There will be a time and place later when we will discharge the results of our investigation," Thomason said. SOURCE: SFGATE.COM

Parolee stood over stricken police officers and fired again

Lovelle Mixon, 27, a parolee on the run, already had shot Oakland police Sgt. Mark Dunakin, 40, and Officer John Hege, 41. Then, as the two men lay on the ground, Mixon stood over them and fired again.  Those were some of the horrifying details that emerged today about the shooting deaths of four veteran Oakland police officers Saturday.Dunakin, 40, of Tracy, a motorcycle officer, stopped a Buick driven by Mixon in the 7400 block of MacArthur Boulevard at about 1:08 p.m. Saturday, possibly for expired registration, police sources said. It is not known whether Hege, of Concord, also a motorcycle officer, was with Dunakin at the initial stop or pulled up later. Dring the stop, Dunakin requested Mixon's license and ran a check, sources said. Mixon's picture was on the license, but the number for the license belonged to another person. As Dunakin was walking back to the car, Mixon stepped out and began shooting with an semi-automatic handgun, hitting Dunakin and Hege, police sources said. The officers did not have a chance to draw their weapons or to radio for help. Witnesses said Mixon then stood over the stricken officers and shot them again before fleeing with the gun. A passer-by gave aid to the officers and made the first 911 call at 1:16 p.m. A massive manhunt began, and police cordoned off the block where the car stop and shooting occurred. Within a short time, officers got a tip that the shooter was inside an apartment building on 74th Avenue, a short distance away.  It was not clear whether they know the true identity of the suspect or that he was wanted on a no-bail warrant; however, sources said the tipster may have known Mixon. Within 45 minutes of the initial traffic stop, police from Oakland and other agencies had blocked off the street and surrounded the apartment building. A SWAT team, led by Dan Sakai, 35, of Castro Valley, and camouflaged sharpshooters got into position. Police attempted to make contact with Mixon but got no response. Believing the public may have been in danger, the team decided to enter the apartment, sources said. Sakai; Erv Romans, 43, of Danville; Officer Pat Gonzales; and three other Oakland officers forcibly entered the apartment and made their way down a dark hallway. At some point, at least one and possibly two flash-bang grenades were fired into the apartment. Mixon, who police believe was hiding in a closet in a back bedroom, began firing through the door and wall, without warning. Romans was the first officer hit, police sources said. The officers did not see Mixon but returned fire in the direction of the gunshots. One or two officers started dragging Romans out of the room, hearing bullets whizzing by their heads.  An Alameda County sheriff's deputy who had SWAT training saw them carry Romans outside and went into the apartment to help return fire, sources said. Mixon was killed, but not before Sakai received a mortal wound to the head, sources said. Gonzales was hit in the shoulder, and a bullet grazed his SWAT helmet. He drove himself to Highland Hospital, where he was treated and released.  Mixon's 16-year-old cousin, who was sleeping inside the apartment when the officers broke inside, was not hit. SOURCE:CONTRA COSTA TIMES

Mourners Place Flowers for Slain Officers at Oakland Police Headquarters

Fourth officer declared brain dead

Motorcycle Officer John Hege, who was critically injured in a shootout Saturday with a parolee, was pronounced brain dead this morning. Three police sergeants shot in the gunbattles died immediately, and a fifth officer received a graze wound to his skull and a bullet wound to his shoulder, police said. Hege, 41, of Concord, was pronounced brain dead at 11:25 this morning at Highland Hospital, police spokesman Jeff Thomason said. He is still on life support until the finial decision can be made on organ donation. The three police sergeants who died were Sgt. Erv Romans, 43; Mark Dunakin, 40; and Sgt. Dan Sakai, 35. A fifth officer was treated and release for his wounds. Lovelle Mixon, 26, who was wanted Today, several of Hege's fellow officers parked a pair of patrol cars outside

his parents' home in Piedmont, standing guard to keep the family's grief safe and private.Hege had served for about eight years as a high school basketball coach and referee before enrolling a police academy, friends recalled."He was one of those guys you meet that you don't forget," said Bill Michels, who said he'd worked alongside Hege in the East Bay Basketball Officials Association (EBBOA). "He makes an impression on you. ... He was a good partner, a team player and great guy to work with."meeting a young Hege fresh out of high school when he signed up to referee for high school football and basketball games."He had a very big heart. It was so important to him that he be fair to both teams," Mapp said. "He did that for almost eight years, until just before he went full-time into the police academy. At the time he did that mainly because he wanted to make some money, have a good-paying job."The mood was somber Sunday morning in front of Sakai's home in Castro Valley where at least three Oakland Police officers stood guard and a small group of friends and neighbors had gathered. One neighbor on the leafy street said Sakai was "a nice guy" and that neighbors had put up their American flags in a show of support for his family.The wind whipped at the flags in front of the single-family homes along the street.People went in and out of the home and hugged each other on the porch. Eyes were red as police and civilians alike said they would not provide comment out of respect for Sakai's family.Oakland Police Officer L. Pau, who had a black piece of tape across the Oakland Police Department patch on his uniform, said the Sakai family had spoken to the Oakland Police chief, but would not comment further.Dunakin had been with the Oakland Police Department since 1991, serving several years as a homicide investigator. He was married with three children. His wife, Angela Schwab, was a former Alameda County Sheriffs Deputy who was taken captive after responding to a robbery in December, 1998 at an Outback in Dublin. Another deputy was shot to death in that incident.Brad Lawrence, 42, of Georgia, said he was a roommate of Romans in the early 1990s in Hayward. They had kept in touch over the years through e-mail."He was a good guy, a former Marine, a drill sergeant in the Marine Corps. He went to work for the Oakland Housing Authority," Lawrence said."His dream was to work for the Oakland Police Department. I think he graduated number one in his class from the academy."Lawrence said Romans was from Michigan. He was "kind of a country boy at heart. Used to like to go shooting, hunting. Just all around good guy. He was an excellent cop. ... Just a great guy, tactically sound."Police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the shootings.on a "No Bail" warrant for violating his parole for assault with a deadly weapon, was shot and killed by SWAT officers.

Devastated police force, weary city grapple with tragedy, unite in grief

OAKLAND — The mood was somber at the Oakland police headquarters Saturday evening as city officials and leaders of the force gathered to talk to the media about the day's tragic events."We come together in shock, grief, sadness and sorrow," said a visibly shaken Mayor Ron Dellums."Our hearts go out the families," of the slain officers, he said "These officers left their homes tonight expecting to return but they did not. "The police department's acting head sought to reassure the city — its officers were "doing a very good job of policing the city despite this tragic loss," said Howard Jordan, who took the job of acting police chief a few weeks ago."It is very unique and unusual to be in this position," he said. "This is not something I expected to do in my career at all."But officers are resilient, he said. "We are a big family and we're relying on each other for support."The speakers could only repeat the words of support for the officers and condolences for the families of the slain and wounded officers. The men "lost their lives in the line of duty," said department spokesman Jeff Thomason, an officer.As the officials spoke, a traffic officer cried while being consoled by colleagues."This is unbelievable," said City Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente. "The officers were just doing their jobs to protect their community. ... They went in that building and paid the ultimate price. All of There had been reports that passers-by taunted the investigating officers. "Sometimes, it is easier to criticize than to support our police officers. We should be thankful for the work they do every single day," he said. The suspect in the officers' slayings was a recent parolee and state Attorney General and former Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown commented privately on the difficulty of keeping track of them."The whole system needs to be revised. I know we're in the middle of cutbacks, but thousands of people are let out every month," he said. Officers at the nearby Oakland Police Officers Association headquarters cordoned off the building and blocked parts of the street, permitting only officers, friends and relatives to come inside. They could be seen consoling one another outside. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger expressed his sorrow in a prepared statement. "This is a tragic day for law enforcement officers everywhere. All four officers dedicated their lives to public safety and selflessly worked to protect the people of Oakland. Maria and I join the Bay Area in remembering their service and honoring their sacrifice.""Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those lost, the Oakland Police Department and law enforcement officers throughout California during this difficult time." In honor of the officers, Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff, he said. us are mourning."

Police Officer Shootings in Oakland, California

Three Officers, Suspect Die In Oakland Shootings

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Three Oakland police officers were killed, another gravely wounded and a suspect was slain in a gun battle with a SWAT team Saturday in two related shootings that have rocked the community, authorities said. . At an emotional Saturday evening press conference, Acting Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan confirmed the deaths.Authorities said the deadly spree began with a traffic stop at 74th Ave. and MacArthur Blvd. at about 1:08 p.m. Two motorcycle officers were gravely wounded at that location and the armed suspect fled into a nearby building, authorities said.Sgt. Mark Dunakin, 40, died of his wounds, Jordan said, and Sgt. John Hege was gravely wounded and battling for his life.A short time later, acting on a tip, police surrounded a building on Hillside St. and 74th Ave -- a block from the initial shooting scene. A SWAT team was sent in and shot it out with a suspect, who had barricaded himself inside and was armed with an assault weapon. Two officers were killed in the exchange of fire and the suspect killed.The officers killed were identified by Jordan as Ervin Romans, 42, and Daniel Saki, 35. The gunman was identified as Lovell Mixon, 27, Oakland. He was wanted for a parole violation, Jordan said.“We received information as to the whereabouts of where the suspect was,” Thomason said. “We had SWAT officers go into that building and that’s where the shooting took place.”Jordan said the department was still investigating, but they did not believe there were any other suspects. "At this point we don't believe there are other people involved, but it's too early to tell," he said. Meanwhile, the mood was somber outside the police station in Oakland as the investigation continued. "This is a highly sensitive situation that we're dealing with right now with our OPD family, and we're still trying to notify family members that their family members were hurt," Thomason said.Hours after Saturday's shootings near a busy intersection just blocks from a police substation in east Oakland, people were still at the scene of the first shooting as police tape blocked off streets.Mo Wiley, 32, of Oakland, said emotions still are raw from the Grant shooting."Oakland is a beautiful place," Wiley said. "But I just hate when it gets ugly like this."Meanwhile about 20 people taunted police near the scene of the first shooting. A group of Oakland ministers went to the hospital to offer prayers and condolences to the family members of the injured officers and the dozens of Oakland police officers who gathered there.They said that on Sunday morning they would urge their parishioners not to let the event tear the city apart. Pastor Raymond Lankford, executive director of Healthy Oakland, urged people to show support for the officers and their families. "What officers do, that's a tough job," Lankford said. "They need love, they need support. They need to know the community is behind them."

4 police shot, suspect killed, after traffic stop

OAKLAND, Calif. — Four officers were in critical condition and a suspect dead on Saturday after gunfire at a traffic stop led to a massive manhunt that ended in a shootout, police said.Two officers were shot in the first incident just after 1 p.m. after they stopped the suspect's vehicle in east Oakland, said Oakland police spokesman Jeff Thomason.The suspect fled the scene on foot into a nearby neighborhood, police said, leading to an intense manhunt by dozens of Oakland police, California Highway Patrol officers and Alameda County sheriff deputies. Streets were roped off and an entire area of east Oakland closed to traffic.At about 3:30 p.m. officers, acting on an anonymous tip, found the suspect, who had barricaded himself in a building."We had SWAT officers go into that building and that's where the second shooting took place," said Thomason.The suspect was killed during the exchange, and two more officers wounded.All four officers are in critical condition at Highland Hospital, Thomason said. Dozens of people, including other officers gathered outside the hospital awaiting word of their colleagues' condition.Acting Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan said the department was still investigating."At this point we don't believe there are other people involved, but it's too early to tell," he said.Tension between police and the community has escalated since the New Year's Day fatal shooting of unarmed 22-year-old Oscar Grant by a transit police officer. That former Bay Area Rapid Transit officer, Johannes Mehserle, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge.Violent protests erupted on the streets of Oakland in the weeks after Grant's death.People lingered at the scene of Saturday's traffic-stop shooting. About 20 bystanders taunted police.The mood was somber outside the police station in east Oakland as the investigation continued. Officers hugged and consoled each other."This is a highly sensitive situation that we're dealing with right now with our OPD family, and we're still trying to notify family members that their family members were hurt," Thomason said. SOURCE:COMCAST.NET

Informant: Bakery head ordered Bailey killed

(03-04) 23:52 PST Oakland -- A confidential informant has told prosecutors that the jailed head of Your Black Muslim Bakery boasted to him last year that he ordered Oakland Post Editor Chauncey Bailey executed to stop untrue information from being published about the bakery. In the statement obtained by The Chronicle, the unidentified informant recounted how he met Yusuf Bey IV, 22, while both were in jail and Bey IV talked constantly about the bakery and the Aug. 2, 2007, killing of the 57-year-old Oakland man. Bey IV, who once headed the influential organization in Oakland's black community, has not been charged in the killing. A handyman for the bakery, Devaughndre Broussard, 21, was charged with murder after confessing to authorities that he carried out the killing on his own because he wanted to be a strong "soldier" in the group. The informant - held on an unspecified offense - told prosecutors that he met Bey IV in 2002 and that their relationship revolved around Bey using him to buy assault rifles.The informant also claimed that he had been recruited as a "soldier" in the organization, but declined to join. He nonetheless told prosecutors late last year how Bey IV confided in him that Bailey held false financial information that Bey "didn't want to get out," and that Bey ordered Bailey to be "taken out" to stop it from being published. "Bey IV said he had to 'sacrifice a soldier' to prevent the information from coming out to protect the bakery," according to a prosecutor's report summarizing the informant's statement. Bey IV's attorney, Anne Beles, on Wednesday denied her client had any role in the Bailey killing. The informant also told prosecutors that Bey IV had himself ordered Broussard to recant his confession - which Broussard later did, through his attorney - to cast doubt on its credibility and create reasonable doubt on his guilt. CONTINUE READING...

Hundreds remember BART shooting victim with joy and tears

(01-07) 16:42 PST HAYWARD -- After his daughter was born four years ago, Oscar Grant kept on driving around with two huge pink flags on his car that proclaimed, "It's a girl," until the material disintegrated.He acted like an older brother to his sister, even though he was six years younger than she was.And he was such a dedicated fisherman that during a church trip he dressed up in full angler's gear, complete with a jacket, hat and 15-foot deep-sea fishing pole.Those were some of the remembrances shared Wednesday as more than 800 friends, relatives and community members turned out at a memorial service for Grant, 22, of Hayward who was unarmed when he was shot and killed early New Year's Day by a BART police officer at the Fruitvale Station in Oakland.The service was alternately somber and spirited. Many people wept as they went up to Grant's open casket, adorned with flowers inside Palma Ceia Baptist Church in Hayward, which he attended since he was a child.One woman wailed and was escorted outside. Later, the Rev. Ronald Coleman, buoyed by rousing Gospel music, proclaimed, "Little Oscar was saved!"Those who eulogized Grant did not address the shooting, which was captured on video by at least two BART riders and has stirred outrage among those who believe the incident was tantamount to an execution. At virtually the moment the service was getting under way, the lawyer and union representative for the officer who shot Grant, Johannes Mehserle, were submitting his resignation to BART officials.Instead of voicing anger about his death, those closest to Grant spoke of his belief in God, his love of sports and his desire to someday marry Sophina Mesa, the mother of his daughter, Tatiana."To me, Oscar was a gift of life, the very apple of God's eye," said his aunt Donna Smith, adding that Grant regarded her as "his second momma."Some of the recollections were light-hearted. Eugene Carter, a church deacon, recalled a fishing trip in Tracy in which Grant carried a bucket. Carter wondered what was inside and came face to face with a "big old turtle" that Grant had caught. Asked what he was going to do with it, Grant gave a big grin and proclaimed, "I'm going to go home and eat it!" CONTINUE READING...