The two victims, a male and a female, were sitting on the steps at around 12:41 a.m. when two individuals wearing dark clothing and bandanas over their faces approached them. According to a UCPD crime alert released Tuesday, one perpetrator displayed a firearm and took the victims’ backpacks along with one wallet.

The suspects fled toward Warring Street. Neither student was harmed during the encounter.

UCPD and BPD responded to a call and were unable to locate the two suspects. According to the crime alert, the perpetrators are described as:

Perpetrator No. 1:  A black male, approximately 25 years of age, approximately 5-foot-6 in height, thin build, wearing dark clothing and a dark bandana and armed with a firearm.

Perpetrator No. 2:  A black male, approximately 25 years of age, approximately 5-foot-6 in height, thin build, wearing dark clothing and a dark bandana.

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Matt Lee/Staff

Residents and business owners witnessed the second homicide to occur at the intersection of San Pablo Avenue and Delaware Street this year on Thursday, prompting concerns about the area’s safety.

At approximately 9:18 p.m., police responded to reports of multiple shots fired and found the victim, 24-year-old Berkeley resident Dustin Bynum, suffering from gunshot wounds. The victim was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Kelly Gonzalez, 19, lives near the intersection and was inside with her family when she heard the shots.

“We ran out and saw the cops,” Gonzalez said. “I feel a little worried. It was pretty close to my home.”

The shooting took place on a block of San Pablo Avenue that is home to several small stores and restaurants as well as a liquor store and two martial arts studios. Around the corner, small, colorful bungalows with tall iron fences line Delaware Street.

Lucy Espinoza, who manages a nearby Popeye’s fast-food chain restaurant, said the business may hire security at the restaurant. She said she thinks that customers will come back despite the shootings.

Espinoza said the restaurant sometimes attracts unsavory clients, and she does not feel safe working in the area.

Other neighborhood employees — including Harry Atwal, who owns Bing’s Liquor — have also expressed worries about safety.

Atwal said he is concerned because two of the three reported homicides in Berkeley this year occurred on his block, and the other one took place in a nearby neighborhood.

“Police have to do something,” Atwal said.

Atwal has security cameras filming outside his shop and said that he is willing to use his video to help police.

Pam Jackson, an office manager at Jackson Hewitt Tax Services, was not working Thursday evening but heard gunshots during the homicide of Zontee Jones at the same intersection in February.

Jackson said she ran outside and saw Jones lying on the ground choking. “It’s been unsafe,” Jackson said, expressing concerns about people whom she says loiter on the corner near her workplace. “It’s not the first time I’ve worked in a neighborhood like this.”

Anneke Faas, a mother of two, said she was riding home on her bicycle at the time of the shooting and spoke to a police officer shortly afterward, who informed her about the incident.

“When there’s a murder right outside of your door, of course you’re concerned for your kids,” Faas said. “But I’m not going to change what I’m doing.”

Berkeley police have not released any further information about the homicide at this time.

Anyone with information on the homicide is encouraged to call Berkeley police at 510-981-5741 or 510-981-5900. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can contact the Bay Area Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Contact Grace Wu and Madeline Pauker at newsdesk@dailycal.org

Clarification(s):
Clarification: This article has been updated to more accurately reflect a statement about shooting on San Pablo avenue in February.

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At about 11:30 p.m., the victim and a friend were walking on Frank Schlessinger Way near Haas Pavilion when a nearby skateboarder threw a skateboard at her for unknown reasons, according to a UCPD crime alert released Monday.

The victim received an arm injury, and the skateboarder fled on the skateboard, heading westbound on Frank Schlessinger Way.

The victim was then transported to Alta Bates Summit Medical Center for treatment.

According to the crime alert, the perpetrator is described as a white male, 20 to 30 years old and wearing a T-shirt and light-colored cargo pants.

Jacob Brown is a news editor. Contact him at jbrown@dailycal.org.

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A 24-year-old man was shot and killed Thursday night on the 1800 block of San Pablo Avenue, according to Berkeley Police Department.

At approximately 9:18 p.m., police responded to reports of multiple shots fired and found the victim suffering from gunshot wounds.

Berkeley Fire Department then transported the victim to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

BPD is not releasing the victim’s name at this time and is investigating the case.

Thursday’s homicide is the third in Berkeley this year. On July 17, Jermaine Davis was shot and killed near the intersection of Derby Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way.

Anyone with information on the homicide is encouraged to call Berkeley police at 510-981-5741 or 510-981-5900. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can contact the Bay Area Crimes Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

View Bing’s Liquor in a larger map

Jacob Brown is a news editor. Contact him at jbrown@dailycal.org.

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UCPD officials are unable to release any further information, as the investigation is ongoing.

A brief description of the crime was posted on UCPD’s online crime bulletin Monday.

Contact Elise Laguna-Aliotti at ealiotti@dailycal.org.

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The suspect, 21-year-old Maurice Thomas, was arrested in San Diego on July 4, according to Berkeley Police Department spokesperson Officer Jennifer Coats.

Lt. Jorge Duran of San Diego Police Department told Berkeleyside that Thomas was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence and possessing a controlled substance. Police later found during the booking process that Thomas was wanted in connection with the murder of Jones.

The Daily Californian could not reach San Diego Police Department for comment.

Jones was shot near the intersection of San Pablo Avenue and Delaware Street at 11:08 a.m on Feb. 4. Officers responded to the scene after receiving reports of shots fired. Jones was immediately transported to Highland Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The killing of Jones was Berkeley’s first homicide of 2013, followed by the July shooting of Jermaine Davis on Derby Street.

Thomas has been charged with the murder of Jones and has been held without bail in Santa Rita Jail in Dublin since July 15. He will enter a plea after arraignment at the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse in downtown Oakland on Aug. 5, Coats said.

On June 16, police also arrested Jevon Calland in West Berkeley in connection with the shooting.

Calland, Thomas and others allegedly planned beforehand to harm the victim. The day before the murder, Calland reportedly threatened Jones in front of witnesses. Both suspects allegedly carried firearms to the scene of the crime, but Thomas was allegedly responsible for shooting Jones.

Contact Madeleine Pauker at mpauker@dailycal.org.

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According to Officer Jennifer Coats, spokesperson for Berkeley Police Department, officers responding to reports of a gunshot around 7:05 p.m. Monday could not initially locate a victim. The victim, whose injury was not life-threatening, transported himself to a nearby hospital, which contacted the police department later in the evening.

The victim told BPD that he was walking down the sidewalk on the 2700 block of Dohr Street at the time of the shooting.

No further information has been released, but Coats wrote in an email that the police department “(does) not believe this was a random event.”

An investigation is ongoing.

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According to a UCPD crime alert released Wednesday, the 24-year-old male victim, whose affiliation is unknown, was walking in the area at about 2:20 a.m. when he was approached by a group of perpetrators. One perpetrator, armed with a gun, demanded the victim’s property.

The victim was ordered to lie on the ground while another perpetrator took his cellphone and wallet. The suspects then fled the area on foot.

According to the UCPD crime alert, the perpetrators are described as follows.

Perpetrator 1 is a black male adult, 20 to 30 years old, between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 10 inches in height, with a slim build and armed with a gun.

Perpetrators 2 and 3 are black male adults, 20 to 30 years old, with slim builds.

Perpetrators 4 and 5 are Asian males.

Andrea Guzman in a news editor. Contact her at aguzman@dailycal.org.

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According to a UCPD crime alert released Wednesday, the two victims, a 21-year-old female and 21-year-old male, were walking in the area at about 2:50 a.m. when they were approached by the perpetrators.

One perpetrator attempted to grab the female victim’s purse while another pulled out a gun and pointed it at her. Fearing for her safety, the victim handed over her belongings.

According to the UCPD crime alert, the perpetrators are described as:

PERPETRATOR 1: black male adult, 18 to 20 years old, 5 feet 8 inches, thin build, clean-shaven, shaved head wearing a gray, hooded sweatshirt and dark jeans.

PERPETRATOR 2: black male adult, 18 to 20 years old, 5 feet 10 inches, thin build, clean-shaven, short black hair wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt and dark jeans, armed with a gun.

PERPETRATORS 3 & 4: two additional black male adult suspects, with no further details.

Andrea Guzman in a news editor. Contact her at aguzman@dailycal.org.

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On July 18 at about 7 p.m., police responded to reports of multiple shots fired on the 1800 block of Derby Street near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Police then confirmed the victim was suffering from gunshot wounds. Berkeley Fire Department transported the victim to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a press release by Berkeley Police Department.

BPD is urging anyone who has information on this homicide to please call the Homicide Detail at 510-981-5741 or its nonemergency number at 510-981-5900. Anonymous calls can be made to Bay Area Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Contact Dennis Vidal at dvidal@dailycal.org.

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