Four men, two of whom were Berkeley residents, were arrested July 21 in connection with the fatal shooting of a man that took place earlier in July.
All of the men were charged with the murder of Anthony Stevens, a 24-year-old man with addresses in both San Leandro, California, and Oakland. The next hearing will take place Aug. 15, during which the suspects will be read their charges and can enter their pleas.
Three of the men — Anthony Wilson, 25, Aoderi Samad, 23, and Derrick McFadden, 20 — allegedly opened fire on Stevens while he was sitting in his car July 9, while one, Kermit Tanner, 20, was accused of driving the three men to and from the scene. One 23-year old-man, Tyrone Terrell, also a Berkeley resident, is a suspect but still remains at large.
Two of the men were also charged with illegal possession of a weapon, which violated their parole. According to Lt. Roland Holmgren, head of the Oakland Police Department’s homicide unit, the five men are allegedly associated with the Five Kingdom Mafia, a gang that operates in Oakland and Berkeley and is known for committing street robberies.
“These individuals, without any care for the neighborhood, without any care even for themselves, come into our city and opened fire,” Holmgren said during a press conference Thursday. “That could have been anyone’s child walking to a store on a quiet Saturday morning in a residential area.”
During the press conference, Holmgren thanked the Berkeley Police Department for its assistance in arresting the suspects involved in Stevens’ death.
The arrest comes after a recent sexual misconduct scandal within the Oakland Police Department, which resulted in the resignation of three police chiefs.
“I remain deeply sorry for recent events that have damaged community trust,” said Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf during the press conference. “But charging these four murder cases is significant. It represents our ability to solve crimes.”