Police arrest suspects in murder of former police officer who was protecting TV news crew
By Cheri Mossburg, CNN
Police are holding two men on homicide charges and are seeking a third in the killing of a former police officer who was working security for a TV news crew in Oakland, California, last fall, the city’s Police Chief, LaRonne Armstrong, said Thursday.
Kevin Nishita was shot during a robbery attempt of a KRON4 field crew on November 24 and died days later. He previously worked for the San Jose Police Department for more than a decade.
The men police say are responsible have been identified as Laron Gilbert, Herschel Hale and Shadihia Mitchell. Oakland police have arrested Hale and Mitchell, and are asking for the public’s help in finding Gilbert. The US Marshals are assisting.
As recently as a couple of months ago, Gilbert was in police custody in connection with another case but was not charged, Armstrong said in a news conference.
The Alameda County District Attorney has charged all three men with murder, attempted second degree robbery, and assault with a semi-automatic firearm. Mitchell was arraigned on Friday, according to the district attorney’s office. He will be back in court on April 15 to enter a plea.
Hale’s arraignment has not been set. CNN has not been able to identify legal representation for either of the men arrested. The Alameda County Public Defender’s Office told CNN no one there has been assigned to represent either of the men.
After the shooting in November, Oakland police released a surveillance photo of a vehicle that had a sunroof but no front license place, which they believed was involved in the killing of Nishita. The police also offered a reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.
Authorities had said at the time that the attack followed “an extremely violent week” when they said armed roving caravans inundated Oakland, targeting businesses.
Tips from the public helped police identify the suspects’ vehicle, which was outside Oakland’s city limits, and the men allegedly involved.
“Even in other cities, community members brought forth information so we would know where to look,” Armstrong said. “Well, that was a tremendous help.”
“Nothing brings back your loved one, but this is something that that people can feel some sense of justice as a result of this arrest,” said Armstrong. “We continue to wrap our arms around his family, and their law enforcement family continues to support them as well.”
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CNN’s Andy Rose, Melissa Alonso, Stella Chan and Chris Boyette contributed to this story.
