Oakland authorities name 3 men charged with killing TV news security guard
Authorities in Oakland on Thursday identified three men charged in connection with the November shooting death of Kevin Nishita, a retired police officer who was working as a security guard for a TV news crew.
One of the men, Laron Gilbert, is at large and should be considered armed and dangerous, authorities said.
Gilbert, Hershel Hale and Shadihia Mitchell were each charged with murder, attempted second-degree robbery and assault with a semiautomatic firearm, according to the Alameda County district attorney’s office. Mitchell was also charged with possession of a firearm by a felon.
Hale, 25, was taken into custody Feb. 9 in San Francisco, said Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong. Mitchell, also 25, was arrested Wednesday by federal marshals in San Francisco.
Gilbert, whose age was not available, was previously arrested on an unrelated parole violation but had been released before authorities charged him in connection with Nishita’s death, said Lt. Frederick Shavies, who commands the Oakland Police Department’s Homicide Section.
Investigators believe all three men are associated with a San Francisco gang, Shavies said.
Both the lieutenant and Armstrong declined to name the gang.
A report detailing how LAPD officers avoided punishment even after breaking use-of-force policies is the latest blow to reform efforts in California.
Nishita was shot at 12:19 p.m. Nov. 24 in the 300 block of 14th Street in downtown Oakland during an attempted armed robbery of a KRON-TV news crew that was covering smash-and-grab thefts, authorities said.
He was taken to a hospital, where he died three days later, police said.
Nishita was an armed guard for Star Protection Agency and provided security for television news crews in the region, who are often targeted by robbers for their equipment.
He was a police officer for the cities of Hayward, San Jose and Colma before retiring in 2018.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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