According to the report, released Friday afternoon, the manner of death was accidental. The report also listed morbid obesity and cardiomegaly, or enlarged heart, as significant conditions in the investigation.

BPD’s own internal investigation was also released Friday afternoon, also finding that Moore’s death was accidental.

On Feb. 13, BPD officers responded to a disturbance call on the 2000 block of Allston Way and were directed to Moore’s apartment. Moore, who originally identified as Xavier Christopher Moore, became unresponsive while officers attempted to restrain her to a gurney. She was then transported to the Alta Bates Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

Moore’s death triggered substantial community response, including demonstrations at a City Council meeting and various protests, due to a perceived lack of transparency with regard to the investigation.

More updates to follow.

Contact Sophie Ho at newsdesk@dailycal.org.

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Organized by Kayla’s family, the celebration will be held at the Gaia Building apartment complex at 5 p.m. on what would have been her 42nd birthday.

Moore, a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, died in police custody on the night of Feb. 12 after officers were called to her apartment to respond to a call about a disturbance.

Following the event, Berkeley Copwatch has organized a march to the Berkeley Police Station to call on the department to release information about their investigation into Moore’s death.

“Our first objective is to honor Kayla Moore and the grief that her family has endured as a result of her murder,” said Copwatch member Andrea Prichett. “Then we’re going to the police station, asking them to release the hold that they have placed on the coroner’s report … we’re asking BPD to correct that situation and let the public and the family have access to the report.”

There is currently a “press hold” placed on the release of the autopsy report by the BPD as the investigation is still ongoing. The coroner’s office is also still currently conducting their own investigation at this time, said Deputy Damon Wilson from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Bureau.

Maria Moore, Kayla’s sister, says the department mishandled the incident and that the officers lacked the necessary training to handle suspects with mental illnesses.

“(The incident) was handled horribly,” Maria said. “One of the neighbors said that (Kayla) was quiet and didn’t know why the police was called. The situation only escalated when the police came.”

According to Maria, the department has not been forthright with information about the investigation to the family, saying they had to reach out to BPD in order for someone to respond.

“We had to call them several times just to get a phone call back,” Maria said. “We may have to get a lawyer involved because they’re not producing any information.”

Maria also criticized the rate at which the investigation is being handled, saying that it has been two months without any word from the department. In an email, Officer Jennifer Coats, spokesperson for BPD, said that the investigation is going at its current rate because officers want it to be as thorough as possible.

The investigation involves detailed interviews with witnesses as well as a collection and analysis of all evidence, according to Coats.

“We understand the community’s concern over this incident and their desire to have as much information as possible,” Coats stated in the email. “This can take some time and we are committed to conducting a thorough investigation into this matter.”

Andy Nguyen is the lead crime reporter. Contact him at anguyen@dailycal.org
and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Truc.

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During the meeting’s public comment section, community members urged the commission to find out details about the night, when a 41-year-old transgender person who was initially identified by police as Xavier Christopher Moore, died. The community members also inquired about the status of the coroner’s report.

When asked by Commission Chair Kiran Shenoy about whether the coroner’s report would be released, Berkeley Police Department Captain Cynthia Harris responded that the department was still waiting on it and that there were not any new developments regarding the investigation.

A man who identified himself simply as Nate interrupted the meeting several times to ask if any officers were placed on leave as a result of Moore’s death. He also claimed that Shenoy did not care about the incident.

“She was ugly and she was a drug addict, so she doesn’t matter … I really don’t think you care that someone is dead,” he said.

The Berkeley Police Review Commission is made up of nine members chosen by the City Council and mayor. It reviews the practices and procedures of BPD and investigates any complaints made by community members against the department.

According to a press release from Berkeley Police Department, the department received a disturbance call on the evening of Feb. 12. Responding officers were directed to Moore’s residence.

“(She) became increasingly agitated and uncooperative to the officer’s verbal commands and began to scream and violently resist,” according to a statement from the department. “After struggling with officers, they were able to gain control of the subject and place (her) in restraints.”

After being restrained to a gurney, officers discovered that Moore had stopped breathing and was later pronounced dead after being rushed to a local hospital.

Earlier in the week, a protest was held for Moore, with nearly 70 protesters who marched from People’s Park to BPD headquarters in Downtown Berkeley.

Andy Nguyen is the lead crime reporter. Contact him at anguyen@dailycal.org
and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Truc.

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Wielding banners and chanting slogans, protesters marched from People’s Park to the police station Downtown, face-to-face with police in riot gear. Though the protest was nonviolent, the crowd remained confrontational, calling for “vengeance for Kayla Moore,” among other loud chants.

Moore, a transgendered individual who identified as Kayla, was originally identified as Xavier Christopher Moore by Berkeley Police Department. Berkeley police had been called to detain Moore after responding to a disturbance call.

According to a statement from Berkeley Police Department, Moore “began to scream and violently resist,” later dying while under restraint.

Maxine Holt, who handed out fliers during the protest, said that she was participating partially because of local media coverage of Moore’s death, which she called “disrespectful.”

“I hope the cops release info about her death, that the coroner releases info and that the matter gets investigated,” Holt said.

Officer Jennifer Coats, spokesperson for Berkeley Police Department, stated on March 11 that an investigation is ongoing. The Alameda County Coroner’s Office has not yet released an official cause of death for Moore.

Berkeley resident Nate Pitts, who, like many attendees, arrived on his bicycle, said he was mostly at the protest out of curiosity.

“I wanted to find out more about these Anonymous Queers in Action … and show solidarity with the march,” Pitts said, referring to a Facebook post by a group called Anonymous Queers in Action calling for Tuesday’s protest.

Coats added that no arrests were made in connection with Tuesday’s protest.

Moore’s death is scheduled for discussion at a meeting of the city’s Police Review Commission Wednesday evening.

Gautham Thomas covers city government. Contact him at gthomas@dailycal.org and follow him on Twitter @gautham_t.

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The protest aims to be an “uncompromisingly militant march against the racist and transphobic Berkeley Police who murdered Kayla Moore,” according to a Facebook post published last Saturday.

“In the case of Kayla Moore, whether by neglect or intent the result is the same,” Anonymous Queers in Action wrote in the post. “Kayla Moore is dead. The Berkeley Police killed Kayla Moore.”

The group stated that it “know(s) police regularly murder people of color, gender-variant people, and people with ‘mental illness.’”

According to a press release from Berkeley Police Department, the department received a disturbance call on the evening of Feb. 12. Responding officers were directed to the residence of 41-year-old Xavier Christopher Moore, a transgender person with a history of mental health issues and who identified as Kayla Moore.

Moore became “increasingly agitated” and began to “violently resist” during contact, according to the release. While struggling to restrain Moore to a gurney, officers discovered she had stopped breathing. She was later pronounced deceased at a local hospital.

In an interview with the Oakland Tribune, Elysse Paige-Miller, Moore’s stepmother, said that Moore was known to the police. In prior situations, BPD would bring its mental health crisis team, which could calm Moore down, she said.

It is unclear whether there was such a team at the scene or if the extent of Moore’s distress was beyond what was described in press releases.

“We are committed to conducting a thorough investigation into this matter,” said Officer Jennifer Coats, spokesperson for BPD, in an email. “We understand the desire to have as much information about this incident as possible, but a thorough investigation does take time.”

In addition to Anonymous Queers in Action, other community groups have called for more transparency regarding the investigation.

“I think it’s great for folks to raise the question and to put pressure on BPD to provide information to the public when it comes to civilians’ deaths,” said Andrea Prichett, a founding member of Berkeley Copwatch, a volunteer organization dedicated to monitoring police actions. “I do believe the protest will raise some consciousness, and that’s a good thing.”

Prichett emphasized the need for an impartial investigation not conducted by BPD.

George Lippman, a member of the Coalition for a Safe Berkeley, another group that works to increase civilian oversight of the police, echoed Prichett, saying an “internal investigation by the police is not sufficient.”

“I will support any positive initiative that condemns unwanted killing of civilians by police, particularly on a basis of profiling or gender-based,” Lippman said. “Nothing I see about (the protest) contradicts that.”

The protest will commence at 6:30 p.m. at People’s Park. Moore’s family declined to comment for this article.

Contact Sophie Ho at sho@dailycal.org.

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A man who died after being detained by Berkeley police officers on Feb. 12 has been identified by authorities.

A technician from the Alameda County Coroner’s Office has confirmed that the man was 41-year-old Xavier Christopher Moore.

On the date of his death, officers were called to the Gaia Building apartment complex on the 2000 block of Allston Way after receiving calls about a person with possible mental health issues, according to a statement from BPD.

Residents of the complex reported that they heard a commotion on the fifth floor of the building before officers arrived.

When officers came to the scene, they spoke with the reporting party, who directed them to Moore’s residence.

Moore became agitated when officers attempted to talk to him, and a struggle ensued.

“(He) became increasingly agitated and uncooperative to the officer’s verbal commands and began to scream and violently resist,” according to the statement. “After struggling with officers, they were able to gain control of the subject and place him in restraints.”

Moore continued to struggle with officers after being placed in restraints. Authorities then had to call Berkeley Fire Department in for a gurney to transport Moore due to his large stature, according to the statement.

After being loaded onto the gurney, officers noticed that Moore was not breathing and began to perform CPR. He was then transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

As the incident is still under investigation, Moore’s cause of death is being withheld, according to Officer Jennifer Coats, spokesperson for Berkeley Police Department.

Andy Nguyen is the lead crime reporter. Contact him at anguyen@dailycal.org.

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