OAKLAND — Two people were shot and killed in a parking lot of an event center, after leaving a memorial for a 22-year-old man who was recently shot and killed by Martinez police, authorities said.
The victims, identified as San Francisco resident Taivale Tautalatasi, 29, and Richmond resident Angela Cummings, 40, were standing in a parking lot on the 90 block of Linden Street in Oakland when at least one gunman opened fire on the crowd, striking Cummings in the head and hitting Tautalatasi at least once.
Cummings died in the parking lot. Tautalatasi — who was taken to Highland Hospital by a friend — survived for several days, but ultimately succumbed to his injuries, authorities said.
Police have not identified a suspect in the double slaying, but say they’re investigating a possible gang motive. Investigators haven’t said whether Cummings or Tautalatasi were intended victims. No arrests have been made.
At least one person fired back at the shooter, authorities said. Tautalatasi’s friend also reportedly refused to speak with police when he dropped Tautalatasi off at the hospital.
The shooting occurred around 4:40 p.m. on Aug. 30, after a memorial for 22-year-old Tahmon Wilson, who was shot and killed by four Martinez police officers on Aug. 18. The four Martinez officers were responding to a report of a burglary at a cannabis dispensary on Sunrise Drive. Wilson was shot in the head and his brother was shot multiple times and severely injured, but survived.
Wilson’s death remains under investigation. His family has retained an attorney and the city has yet to release video footage of the shooting. Police allege that the officers opened fire after Wilson reversed the SUV toward them. The Wilson family’s attorney has said the SUV was leaving the area and the officers had “no reasonable or lawful explanation” to shoot Wilson in the back of the head.
The four Martinez officers who fired were identified as Cole Bennett, Marc Kahue, Raul Ceja-Mendez and Alexander Tirona. The California Department of Justice is leading the investigation, but the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office is expected to hold a public inquest, where officers will testify to the circumstances, as is done for all police-related deaths countywide. A date for the inquest has not yet been set.
Staff writer Harry Harris contributed to this report
Source: www.mercurynews.com