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{{Infobox civilian attack
|title =2009 Oakland Police shootings
|image =
|caption =
|location = [[Oakland, California]], [[United States|USA]]
|target = [[Oakland Police Department]] officers
|date = [[March 21]], [[2009]]
|time =
|timezone = Pacific Standard Time
|type = [[shootout]]
|fatalities = 5 (4 officers, 1 perpetrator)
|injuries = 1
|perps = Lovelle Mixon
|weapons = [[AK-47]], [[semiautomatic pistol]]
}}

On '''March 21, 2009,''' gunman '''Lovelle Mixon''' killed four [[Oakland, California]] police officers, two during a routine traffic stop and two when [[SWAT]] team officers attempted to apprehend him two hours later. <ref>http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Investigation_into_Oakland_Police_Murders_Far_from_Over_Bay_Area.html</ref> The murders rank among the deadliest attacks on law enforcement in U.S. history. It was the deadliest on [[California]] police officers in a single incident since the [[Newhall Massacre|Newhall incident]] in 1970, when four [[California Highway Patrol]] officers were shot and killed by two men in the [[Santa Clarita Valley]].
On '''March 21, 2009,''' gunman '''Lovelle Mixon''' killed four [[Oakland, California]] police officers, two during a routine traffic stop and two when [[SWAT]] team officers attempted to apprehend him two hours later. <ref>http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Investigation_into_Oakland_Police_Murders_Far_from_Over_Bay_Area.html</ref> The murders rank among the deadliest attacks on law enforcement in U.S. history. It was the deadliest on [[California]] police officers in a single incident since the [[Newhall Massacre|Newhall incident]] in 1970, when four [[California Highway Patrol]] officers were shot and killed by two men in the [[Santa Clarita Valley]].


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==The Suspect==
==The Suspect==
Police identified Oakland resident Lovelle Mixon, 26, as the murderer and said Mixon wielded two different weapons - a semiautomatic pistol and an [[AK-47]]<ref name="ak47">[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/22/BAV116KEU0.DTL Doomed SWAT sergeants didn't expect an AK-47], [[San Francisco Chronicle]], March 23, 2009</ref> - during his assaults on the Oakland police officers. As of March 24, 2009, there is no clear information on whether the AK-47 was a true select-fire [[assault rifle]], or a semi-automatic civilian version which is known as an [[assault weapon]] under California's law due to its appearance resembling a military weapon. Almost all mainstream media publications use those two terms interchangeably.
Police identified Oakland resident Lovelle Mixon, 26, as the murderer and said Mixon wielded two different weapons - a semiautomatic pistol and an [[AK-47]]<ref name="ak47">[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/22/BAV116KEU0.DTL Doomed SWAT sergeants didn't expect an AK-47], [[San Francisco Chronicle]], March 23, 2009</ref> - during his assaults on the Oakland police officers. As of March 24, 2009, there is no clear information on whether the AK-47 was a true select-fire [[assault rifle]], or a semi-automatic civilian version which is known as an [[assault weapon]] under California's law due to its appearance resembling a military weapon. Almost all media publications use those two terms interchangeably.
Mixon had an extensive criminal history, having been in and out of prison since age 20, and he was wanted on a no-bail [[arrest warrant]] for violating [[parole]] on a previous [[assault with a deadly weapon]] conviction stemming from an [[armed robbery]] in [[San Francisco]]. Oakland police had also been informed that evidence collected after the recent rape of an Oakland woman indicated a match with Mixon's DNA. Authorities said if he had been arrested for his parole violaton, Mixon would have faced at most six months in prison; if convicted of rape, he would have been incarcerated for considerably longer. Mixon had also been the primary suspect in a previous murder case, however due to lack of evidence he had been charged only with lessor violations--possession of drug paraphernalia, forgery, identity theft, attempted grand theft, and receiving stolen property.<ref name="SuspectInMurder">[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/23/MNH016L58R.DTL&tsp=1 Killer of 4 officers wanted to avoid prison], [[San Francisco Chronicle]], March 23, 2009</ref><ref>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/23/MNBQ16LGNH.DTL&tsp=1</ref><ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/24/us/24oakland.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=Oakland%20police&st=cse</ref>
Mixon had an extensive criminal history, having been in and out of prison since age 20, and he was wanted on a no-bail [[arrest warrant]] for violating [[parole]] on a previous [[assault with a deadly weapon]] conviction stemming from an [[armed robbery]] in [[San Francisco]]. Oakland police had also been informed that evidence collected after the recent rape of an Oakland woman indicated a match with Mixon's DNA. Authorities said if he had been arrested for his parole violaton, Mixon would have faced at most six months in prison; if convicted of rape, he would have been incarcerated for considerably longer. Mixon had also been the primary suspect in a previous murder case, however due to lack of evidence he had been charged only with lessor violations--possession of drug paraphernalia, forgery, identity theft, attempted grand theft, and receiving stolen property.<ref name="SuspectInMurder">[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/23/MNH016L58R.DTL&tsp=1 Killer of 4 officers wanted to avoid prison], [[San Francisco Chronicle]], March 23, 2009</ref><ref>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/23/MNBQ16LGNH.DTL&tsp=1</ref><ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/24/us/24oakland.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=Oakland%20police&st=cse</ref>
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The rampage began at 1:08 p.m. after two motorcycle officers pulled over Mixon's burgundy 1995 Buick sedan for a traffic violation, possibly an expired registration tag, in the 7400 block of MacArthur Boulevard in [[East Oakland, Oakland, California|east Oakland]]. It is speculated that after collecting the driver's license, Ofc. Dunakin became suspicious that the license is fake and signaled Ofc. Hege to arrest the driver<ref>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/23/BABQ16LGNH.DTL&tsp=1</ref>. Witnesses say Mixon opened fire without warning, and after both officers fell to the ground, he fired execution-style directly into the two officers' heads. Citizens who witnessed the incident called 911 and started [[CPR]] on both officers. Sgt. Dunakin died at the scene, and Officer Hege was pronounced dead the next day. Neither officer had fired a shot, police said.<ref name="SFmarch23">[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/22/MNCT16L5SI.DTL Review could bring changes in officer training], [[San Francisco Chronicle]], March 23, 2009</ref><ref>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/23/MNBQ16LGNH.DTL&tsp=1</ref>
The rampage began at 1:08 p.m. after two motorcycle officers pulled over Mixon's burgundy 1995 Buick sedan for a traffic violation, possibly an expired registration tag, in the 7400 block of MacArthur Boulevard in [[East Oakland, Oakland, California|east Oakland]]. It is speculated that after collecting the driver's license, Ofc. Dunakin became suspicious that the license is fake and signaled Ofc. Hege to arrest the driver<ref>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/23/BABQ16LGNH.DTL&tsp=1</ref>. Witnesses say Mixon opened fire without warning, and after both officers fell to the ground, he fired execution-style directly into the two officers' heads. Citizens who witnessed the incident called 911 and started [[CPR]] on both officers. Sgt. Dunakin died at the scene, and Officer Hege was pronounced dead the next day. Neither officer had fired a shot, police said.<ref name="SFmarch23">[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/22/MNCT16L5SI.DTL Review could bring changes in officer training], [[San Francisco Chronicle]], March 23, 2009</ref><ref>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/23/MNBQ16LGNH.DTL&tsp=1</ref>


Mixon fled the scene on foot into a nearby neighborhood, leading to an intense manhunt by some 200 officers from the Oakland Police Department, the [[Alameda County, California|Alameda County]] Sheriff's Office, the [[BART Police|BART Police Department]], and the [[California Highway Patrol]]. Nearby streets were roped off, and an entire area of east Oakland was closed to traffic.
Mixon fled the scene on foot into a nearby neighborhood, leading to an intense manhunt by some 200 officers from the Oakland Police Department, the [[Alameda County,mainstream California|Alameda County]] Sheriff's Office, the [[BART Police|BART Police Department]], and the [[California Highway Patrol]]. Nearby streets were roped off, and an entire area of east Oakland was closed to traffic.


===Shootout on 74th Ave.===
===Shootout on 74th Ave.===

Revision as of 04:07, 25 March 2009

2009 Oakland Police shootings
LocationOakland, California, USA
DateMarch 21, 2009 (Pacific Standard Time)
TargetOakland Police Department officers
Attack type
shootout
WeaponsAK-47, semiautomatic pistol
Deaths5 (4 officers, 1 perpetrator)
Injured1
PerpetratorsLovelle Mixon

On March 21, 2009, gunman Lovelle Mixon killed four Oakland, California police officers, two during a routine traffic stop and two when SWAT team officers attempted to apprehend him two hours later. [1] The murders rank among the deadliest attacks on law enforcement in U.S. history. It was the deadliest on California police officers in a single incident since the Newhall incident in 1970, when four California Highway Patrol officers were shot and killed by two men in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The Officers

Police identified the deceased victims as motorcycle Officer Sgt. Mark Dunakin, 40;[2] SWAT Sgt. Ervin Romans, 43;[3] SWAT Sgt. Daniel Sakai, 35;[4] and motorcycle Officer John Hege, 41.[5] Dunakin had been with the Oakland Police Department since 1991, while Romans had been there since 1996, Hege since 1999, and Sakai since 2000.

A fifth officer, Sgt. Pat Gonzales, was shot through the left shoulder by one of Mixon's bullets and had a second ricochet off his helmet; he was treated and released.[6]

The Suspect

Police identified Oakland resident Lovelle Mixon, 26, as the murderer and said Mixon wielded two different weapons - a semiautomatic pistol and an AK-47[7] - during his assaults on the Oakland police officers. As of March 24, 2009, there is no clear information on whether the AK-47 was a true select-fire assault rifle, or a semi-automatic civilian version which is known as an assault weapon under California's law due to its appearance resembling a military weapon. Almost all media publications use those two terms interchangeably.

Mixon had an extensive criminal history, having been in and out of prison since age 20, and he was wanted on a no-bail arrest warrant for violating parole on a previous assault with a deadly weapon conviction stemming from an armed robbery in San Francisco. Oakland police had also been informed that evidence collected after the recent rape of an Oakland woman indicated a match with Mixon's DNA. Authorities said if he had been arrested for his parole violaton, Mixon would have faced at most six months in prison; if convicted of rape, he would have been incarcerated for considerably longer. Mixon had also been the primary suspect in a previous murder case, however due to lack of evidence he had been charged only with lessor violations--possession of drug paraphernalia, forgery, identity theft, attempted grand theft, and receiving stolen property.[8][9][10]

Police said Mixon was linked by DNA to the February 2009 rape of a 12-year-old girl who was dragged off the street at gunpoint in the East Oakland neighborhood where Mixon's sister lived. He may have committed as many as five other rapes in the same neighborhood in recent months, investigators said.[11]

The Events

Traffic stop on MacArthur Blvd.

The rampage began at 1:08 p.m. after two motorcycle officers pulled over Mixon's burgundy 1995 Buick sedan for a traffic violation, possibly an expired registration tag, in the 7400 block of MacArthur Boulevard in east Oakland. It is speculated that after collecting the driver's license, Ofc. Dunakin became suspicious that the license is fake and signaled Ofc. Hege to arrest the driver[12]. Witnesses say Mixon opened fire without warning, and after both officers fell to the ground, he fired execution-style directly into the two officers' heads. Citizens who witnessed the incident called 911 and started CPR on both officers. Sgt. Dunakin died at the scene, and Officer Hege was pronounced dead the next day. Neither officer had fired a shot, police said.[13][14]

Mixon fled the scene on foot into a nearby neighborhood, leading to an intense manhunt by some 200 officers from the Oakland Police Department, the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, the BART Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol. Nearby streets were roped off, and an entire area of east Oakland was closed to traffic.

Shootout on 74th Ave.

At about 3:20 p.m., as police descended on the neighborhood, a local woman walked up to MacArthur to see what the commotion was about. She noticed the burgundy Buick, and recalled seeing Mixon in the car in recent days. She also knew that Mixon's sister lived in a two-bedroom, ground-level apartment at 2755 74th Avenue, just a block from where the motorcycle officers were shot. Although she knew it was dangerous to be seen talking to the police, the woman decided to give her information to an officer she recognized.[15]

Police said they concluded that the lives of people in the three-story apartment building could be at risk, and they couldn't afford to barricade the building and wait. They also said that because of the location of the apartment, there was no way to ensure that other residents could be brought through the door to the street safely. SWAT officers soon raided the apartment, bashing in the door while throwing nonlethal shock grenades.[15]

As the SWAT team entered a bedroom in a clear and search operation, Mixon opened fire with his AK-47 through the wall and door of the closet where he was hiding. One member of the SWAT team, Sgt. Romans, was killed almost immediately, and Sgt. Gonzales was wounded. Gonzales, Sakai, an Alameda County sheriff's deputy and another SWAT team member returned fire at Mixon. Sgt. Sakai was fatally shot before Mixon was killed.[16]

Aftermath

Black activists that support resistance to police brutality in the neighborhood where Mixon was shot handed out flyers that invited people to a rally where they would "uphold the resistance" of "Brother Lovelle Mixon." However, most people did not see the choice of one person's rampage as "resistance" to any logical or recognizable issue. Many in the neighborhood, both blacks and those belonging to other racial groups, rejected this sentiment and indicated support for the Oakland police.[15] Some community leaders have voiced concern that, because Mixon was black and the slain officers were white or of mixed race, the murders could lead to increased tensions between the Oakland Police Department and Oakland's black community.[17]

On March 22, 2009, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered flags at the state capitol flown at half-staff in honor of the slain officers.[18]

On March 23, 2009, John Hege was taken off life support. His family had kept him on so his organs could be donated.[19]

References

  1. ^ http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Investigation_into_Oakland_Police_Murders_Far_from_Over_Bay_Area.html
  2. ^ Mark Dunakin - a cop committed to Oakland, San Francisco Chronicle, March 23, 2009
  3. ^ Ervin Romans - compassionate SWAT veteran, San Francisco Chronicle, March 23, 2009
  4. ^ Daniel Sakai - quick learner was a rising star, San Francisco Chronicle, March 23, 2009
  5. ^ John Hege - always the first to respond, San Francisco Chronicle, March 23, 2009
  6. ^ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/23/MNH016L58R.DTL
  7. ^ Doomed SWAT sergeants didn't expect an AK-47, San Francisco Chronicle, March 23, 2009
  8. ^ Killer of 4 officers wanted to avoid prison, San Francisco Chronicle, March 23, 2009
  9. ^ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/23/MNBQ16LGNH.DTL&tsp=1
  10. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/24/us/24oakland.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=Oakland%20police&st=cse
  11. ^ Cop-killer was suspected of raping 12-year-old, San Francisco Chronicle, March 24, 2009
  12. ^ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/23/BABQ16LGNH.DTL&tsp=1
  13. ^ Review could bring changes in officer training, San Francisco Chronicle, March 23, 2009
  14. ^ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/23/MNBQ16LGNH.DTL&tsp=1
  15. ^ a b c Woman says she pointed police to Oakland killer, San Francisco Chronicle, March 23, 2009
  16. ^ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/23/MNH016L58R.DTL
  17. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/24/us/24oakland.html?ref=us
  18. ^ Police: Fourth Oakland police officer has died, Associated Press, March 22, 2009
  19. ^ http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/24/national/main4888648.shtml?source=RSSattr=U.S._4888648 Retrieved on 2009-03-24.
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