OAKLEY — In a development reminiscent of one after the deadly Orinda mass shooting two years ago, Contra Costa prosecutors have declined to charge the 22-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder in a party shooting over the weekend that killed two and injured two.
The 22-year-old man, whose name was not released by police, was expected to be freed from the Martinez Detention Facility after Wednesday’s decision by the District Attorney’s homicide unit. Prosecutors declined to comment on the decision other than to say that the investigation is still open.
The party was held on the 30 block of Malicoat Avenue, where gunfire erupted a little after 9 p.m., police said. Authorities have not said if there was more than one suspected shooter.
Myron Crenshaw Jr., 29, of Vallejo and Anthony Hernandez, 44, of Brentwood, were both killed, according to the Contra Costa County Coroner’s office. The two victims with nonfatal injuries were hospitalized.
Oakley police said the chaotic shooting happened after a fight broke out between guests at a birthday party and the family hosting it. Police have not said if the suspect was with the host family or was a party guest.
The decision is another stark reminder of the difficulties that can arise in prosecuting shootings that break out at parties, where guests are often inebriated and claims of self-defense can be hard to disprove. The most notable reminder of this came almost two years ago to the day, when the district attorney declined to prosecute any of the five men who’d been arrested on murder charges in the 2019 Halloween mass shooting that killed five people at an Airbnb rental in Orinda.
In that case, multiple people at the party were armed, nearly everyone was wearing a costume, and the shooting happened well after dark, leading to a chaotic situation where authorities struggled to prove which subjects did what when. Some of the five killed were believed to have fired shots during the chaos.
No deadline has been set for prosecutors to re-examine the Oakley shooting. The suspect can be held for three business days without charges, a period that was slated to expire around 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Source: www.mercurynews.com