Suspects in killing of retired Bay Area police Sergeant Kevin Nishita enter plea deals
By Carlos E. Castañeda
Three men charged in the 2021 fatal shooting in Oakland of retired Bay Area police Sergeant Kevin Nishita have pleaded no contest ahead of a murder trial, prosecutors announced Friday.
On November 24, 2021, Nishita was shot while working as a security guard for a television news crew in downtown Oakland. He died from his injuries several days later.
The accused killer, Laron Gilbert, pleaded no contest Thursday to first-degree murder with a gang enhancement, which would result in an expected prison sentence of 30 years to life, according to Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson. Co-defendants Shadihia Mitchell and Hershel Hale each pleaded no contest to robbery and agreed to serve 25-year sentences, authorities said.
Gilbert left the Bay Area and evaded authorities until he was arrested in the Kansas City, Missouri area in January 2024. Hale and Mitchell were arrested in 2022.
Nishita worked as a police officer in San Jose and Hayward from 2001 to 2012. Later in 2012, he joined the Colma Police Department and was promoted to sergeant in 2015.
After he retired from law enforcement, Nishita served as a security guard for various Bay Area TV news crews, including KPIX. He was shot after the three defendants tried to steal a news crew’s camera equipment, and Nishita stepped in to stop them.
