Full Notification

As a community member, you are often aware of crime as it occurs, but it is not often that you see the results of our investigations and tireless work to bring offenders to justice. These processes, especially in cases of murder investigations, may take years to conclude. We are pleased to bring news of this latest conviction, and the crime's surrounding circumstances, from the District Attorney's Office.

In this case, and in many cases like it, a meaningless confrontation spurred a senseless act of violence resulting in the loss of life. The convicted killer was on parole and illegally carrying a concealed firearm. What if someone had reported this as a parole violation before this crime had the opportunity to occur? What if someone had reported to police that this was a crime waiting to happen? Perhaps the best way to prevent gun violence in our City is to report illegal firearms and illegal firearm possession before gun violence occurs.

The Oakland Police Department is aware of the reluctance to come forward. There are valid fears associated with reporting, but we now have the power to report criminal activity – and perhaps save a life by doing so – anonymously through Nixle Tip Watch. Tip Watch empowers our community by removing the fear from the decision to report.

Anonymous tips may be sent to the Oakland Police Department via web form or text. Nixle Tip Watch allows tipsters to send OPD a tip in several anonymous ways:
1. Text your tip by beginning your message with TIP OAKLANDPD and send to 888777 from your cell phone
2. Call our toll-free tip hotline at 855-TIPS-247 (855-847-7247)
3. Respond to OPD's Nixle messages to complete and submit an anonymous web form, or visit http://local.nixle.com/tip/alert/4895191

From www.alcoda.org:

“On October 24, 2012, Theodore Walter Jones was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm by a felon for his role in a parking lot scuffle that led to the death of D’Mario Anderson. On the night of September 8, 2010, defendant Jones drunkenly bumped into the victim and his friends as they were placing their order at a taco truck on 44th Avenue and International Boulevard in East Oakland. This accidental encounter spurred a confrontation between the two groups that quickly escalated from dirty looks to punches. When Anderson drew a pistol from his waistband, defendant Jones restrained him in a “bear hug," but received a bullet in his own leg when the gun discharged. He pried the weapon from Anderson, who turned and ran briefly before reaching for his waistband a second time. Believing that the victim had another gun, defendant Jones fired several shots, two of which struck Anderson and knocked him to the ground. While Anderson was down, defendant Jones walked up to him and shot him in the head. One of the defendant’s friends then drove him to a hospital in Tracy where he was treated for the gunshot wound. Oakland Police Department officers found a second gun under the victim's body, but subsequent ballistics tests determined that it had not been fired at the scene. The prosecutor was DDA Mas Morimoto.”