Extra

Press Release: Berkeley Police Department; additional information re: 2/18/12 Homicide X

From Lt. Andrew Greenwood, Berkeley Police Department
Monday February 20, 2012 - 06:53:00 PM

Coverage of the February 18 homicide generated a number of questions today. We are offering this additional information regarding the homicide from Saturday night, February 18, 2012: 

BPD received a report of a suspicious person possibly trespassing. The caller calmly reported an encounter with a strange person on his property, and asked for an officer to respond. This call for service was queued for dispatch. 

At that time, available Patrol teams were being reconfigured in order to monitor a protest which was to come into Berkeley from Oakland in the next hour. Only criminal, in-progress emergency calls were to be dispatched, due to the reduction in officers available to handle calls for service. 

BPD subsequently received a call of an attack in progress on Park Gate Rd. Officers were immediately dispatched to that call. 

Officers located the victim and immediately provided first aid. Berkeley Fire Department paramedics had also been assigned to respond, and were en route. Paramedics arrived on scene and took over care of the victim. 

We are not identifying the victim at this time. 

We are not releasing the booking photo at this time. We are working to insure that any subsequent identifications are not compromised through release of the photograph. 

We have no further information available at this time. 

The investigation in this case continues and is on-going. The suspect, Daniel Jordan Dewitt, remains in custody.