Features

18-year-old murdered in South Berkeley 

An 18-year-old man was murdered Monday, May 4, on the 1300 block of 67th Street, according to Berkeley police.  

Around 11:30 p.m., the Berkeley Police Department received calls of shots fired in the area. Officers responding to the scene found the 18-year-old in the rear yard of a residence, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene by Berkeley Fire Department paramedics.  

The murder was Berkeley’s second of the year.  

The shooting rattled residents of Southwest Berkeley.  

“It’s a damn shame,” said Shay, a dreadlocked young man standing with two friends on the corner of 67th and Mabel, a short distance from the crime scene. Berkeley police would not release the name of the deceased or any information about the cause of the incident.  

Another area resident named Calvin said he was lying awake in bed when he heard several gunshots fired. However, he did not see the incident, choosing to take cover instead. “I grew up in West Oakland,” Calvin said. “When you hear shots, you don’t go looking out the window.” 

Detectives are asking for the community’s help with this investigation. Anyone who may have any information regarding this crime is urged to call the BPD Homicide Detail at 981-5741 (office) or 981-5900 (non-emergency dispatch line). Callers who wish to remain anonymous are asked to call the Bay Area Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). 

Bank robber at large 

Berkeley police detectives are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a man suspected of robbing the Telegraph Avenue branch of the Bank of America twice in 12 days. 

The suspect, a black man in his 40s, approximately 5’11” to 6’2” in height, of medium build and sporting a scruffy beard, was videotaped robbing the bank branch at 1:13 p.m. April 23 and again at 12:11 p.m. May 4. In both instances, the man handed a note to bank tellers demanding cash and indicating he had a gun. Pictures of the suspect are on the Planet’s website, www.berkeleydailyplanet.com. 

The Bank of America is offering a reward of $1,000 for any information leading to the suspect’s arrest. Anyone who may have information should contact the BPD Robbery Detail at 981-5742 or 981-5900. Callers who wish to remain anonymous are asked to call the Bay Area Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). 

Man dies after hit-and-run accident 

William Henderson, 55, of Berkeley died Sunday from injuries sustained during a hit-and-run accident in Berkeley last Wednesday evening.  

According to witnesses, Henderson was struck by a dark green Buick Park Avenue at the intersection of Adeline and Harmon streets on April 29. He was taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland with serious injuries, but never regained consciousness.  

Berkeley police do not have any suspects in the incident and are asking anyone with information to contact them at 981-5900.  

Fatal DUI accident 

A unidentified man was killed in a fatal car accident on Tuesday evening on Shattuck Avenue.  

The black Chevy Camaro was fleeing a traffic stop at 24th street and San Pablo Avenue in Oakland. Oakland officers did not pursue the driver, who sped away from the stop. Berkeley police first observed the Camaro driving north on Adeline Street from Alcatraz Avenue with its lights off. Another BPD officer saw the same car crash into a tree in the center median of Shattuck Avenue north of Dwight Way. 

Berkeley firefighters freed the passenger and the driver, 22-year-old Jamar Devon Cleveland of Oakland, from the car. Both men were taken to the Alameda County Trauma Unit, where the passenger was declared dead shortly after 12:40 a.m.  

Cleveland was booked in the Alameda County Jail for vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol.