Men convicted in 2021 Oakland killing of Kevin Nishita sentenced to lengthy prison terms

By Tim Fang

A judge in Alameda County on Tuesday sentenced three men convicted in the 2021 killing of Bay Area police sergeant and security guard Kevin Nishita to decades in prison.

Laron Gilbert, who pleaded no contest to first-degree murder with a gang enhancement, was sentenced to 30 years to life. Co-defendants Shadihia Mitchell and Hershel Hale received 25-year sentences after pleading no contest to robbery.

All three men accepted plea deals in February, ahead of a scheduled trial.

Nishita was shot on Nov. 24, 2021, while working as a security guard for a television news crew in downtown Oakland and died from his injuries several days later. Authorities said the three men tried to steal camera equipment and Nishita stepped in to stop them.

Hale and Mitchell were arrested in 2022. Gilbert was arrested in early 2024 after being found by U.S Marshals near Kansas City, Missouri.

After retiring from a career in law enforcement, Nishita worked as a guard for various TV news crews in the Bay Area, including KPIX. 

Nishita had worked for several police agencies, including the San Jose Police Department, Hayward Police Department and Colma Police Department, where he was promoted to sergeant.