Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price’s Statement Regarding the Charges Against Defendants Accused of Killing Security Guard Kevin Nishita 

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price’s Statement Regarding the Charges Against Defendants Accused of Killing Security Guard Kevin Nishita 

 December 18, 2023 

OAKLAND, CA — “My office has reached a decision regarding the charges against two of the three defendants accused of murdering Kevin Nishita, said Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. “We believe there is evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt to charge both defendants, Shadihia Mitchell and Hershel Hale, each with one count of first-degree murder, which carries with it 25 years to life sentences, as well as arming enhancements.” 

Mr. Nishita was a retired police officer who was working as a security guard protecting a television news crew when he was gunned down in Oakland on November 24, 2021. Both defendants are San Francisco residents whom it is alleged came to Oakland intending to commit a crime. 

“These are very serious charges, and they reflect my office’s commitment to punishing those who come to Alameda County to inflict harm on people in our community,” said DA Price.  “This trial comes at a time when Mr. Nishita’s family continues to grieve. I understand, but I could never fully know the pain the Nishita family is experiencing at this moment. I realize there is nothing that I can say that will remove their anguish because, ultimately, no charge will undo the senseless act of violence that killed him.” 

A third defendant, Laron Gilbert, is still at large.  He is considered armed and dangerous. If anyone knows his whereabouts, we ask you to contact Oakland police. 

 

 

 Contact: damedia@acgov.org 

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price Welcomes New Interim Director of the Community Support Bureau, Esther Lemus  

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price Welcomes New Interim Director of the Community Support Bureau, Esther Lemus  

December 12, 2023 

OAKLAND, CA — Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price welcomes Esther Lemus as the interim Director of the Community Support Bureau. Ms. Lemus will oversee the Bureau dedicated to connecting the District Attorney’s Office (DAO) with the residents of Alameda County.  

Ms. Lemus is an accomplished lawyer, former prosecutor, and community builder who is guided by her passion for social justice and advancing basic human rights for the most vulnerable in our community. She worked at the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office for over a decade, and the United States Attorney’s Offices in Northern and Southern California. In addition to her courtroom work, she developed Sonoma County’s “Safe Neighborhoods” D.A. Program, a public safety and community outreach initiative educating the community through prevention efforts to increase public safety and decrease victimization and crime. Through this program, Ms. Lemus engaged in extensive community outreach throughout Sonoma County and spent countless hours making public presentations in both English and Spanish. 

Most recently, Ms. Lemus served as the Supervising Attorney for Legal Aid of Sonoma County. She is also the past Vice Mayor of Windsor and the first Latina elected to the Windsor Town Council. “Esther Lemus is a dedicated public servant with a distinguished track record of improving communities,” said DA Pamela Price. “We are excited to have her join our team at the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office. Her hiring represents another significant step in our efforts to protect public safety and improve the delivery of services to the residents of Alameda County.” 

In her role, Ms. Lemus will monitor and expand the DAO’s engagement with community groups and residents. As the Interim Director of the Community Support Bureau, Ms. Lemus will oversee the Victim Witness Advocates Division, the Family Justice Center, the CARES Navigation Center, the Collaborative Courts, the District Attorney’s internship programs, and the DAO Speaker’s Bureau. 

 

 Contact: damedia@acgov.org 

 

 

 

The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office (DAO) is one of California’s largest prosecutors’ offices and is led by Alameda County’s first Black woman District Attorney Pamela Y. Price. Price brings her vision to this office to fairly administer justice in the pursuit of thriving, healthy, and safe communities for every person who steps foot in Alameda County, no matter their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, income, or zip code. Price has been recognized as one of the most progressive prosecutors through her forward-thinking, innovative strategies to interrupt cycles of violence and crime and bring change to a criminal justice system rooted in systemic racism. Follow Madam DA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and @AlamedaCountyda on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

 

 

Alameda County District Attorney’s Public Accountability Unit Found Insufficient Evidence to File Charges in the Joshua Gloria Case

December 8, 2023

Alameda County District Attorney’s Public Accountability Unit Found Insufficient Evidence to File Charges in the Joshua Gloria Case

Fremont – Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price announces the DA’s Public Accountability Unit (PAU) has concluded that it will not proceed forward with any charges in the May 24, 2021, officer-involved shooting death of Joshua Gloria.

According to the PAU, we believe that Fremont Police Officer Brian Burch “had valid reasons to believe that Mr. Gloria represented a substantial risk of causing severe harm or even death to both himself and those in the vicinity and further that he reasonably believed that he needed to use deadly force to stop Mr. Gloria from fleeing. Therefore, applying the guidelines outlined in the California District Attorney’s Uniform Crime Charging Standards, we must conclude that there is insufficient evidence to pursue a criminal prosecution against Officer Brian Burch.”

The PAU thoroughly reviewed, with fresh eyes, the prior Alameda District Attorney’s Office report and the complete case file materials, including but not limited to all available body-worn camera footage, investigative reports, and dispatch recordings. Additionally, the PAU visited the scene of the shooting, reached out to the Gloria family’s civil attorney, and spoke to the Gloria family and has concluded that while this is undoubtedly a tragic outcome and series of events, Officer Brian Burch cannot be held criminally liable under the relevant laws and pertinent facts. DA Price does not believe that the prosecution could prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the first three shots fired by Officer Burch were not in lawful self-defense and that the last two shots Officer Burch fired at Mr. Gloria were not a lawful use of deadly force against an individual who was suspected of a felony and in clear flight.

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price announced the formation of the PAU in January. One of its initial assignments was to review eight in-custody deaths and officer-involved shootings to determine whether any evidence would prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a police officer should be held accountable for misconduct.

Earlier this year, the PAU filed charges against two Alameda County Sheriff’s Deputies in the Vinetta Martin case. The PAU continues its review of more than 250 Alameda County cases.

 

Contact: damedia@acgov.org

……………………………………………………

The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office (DAO) is one of California’s largest prosecutors’ offices and is led by Alameda County’s first Black woman District Attorney Pamela Y. Price. Price brings her vision to this office to fairly administer justice in the pursuit of thriving, healthy, and safe communities for every person who steps foot in Alameda County, no matter their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, income, or zip code. Price has been recognized as one of the most progressive prosecutors through her forward-thinking, innovative strategies to interrupt cycles of violence and crime and bring change to a criminal justice system rooted in systemic racism. Follow Madam DA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and @AlamedaCountyda on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price Delivers Year-End Report on Services Provided to Victims and Their Families

December 8, 2023

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price Delivers Year-End Report on Services Provided to Victims and Their Families

Oakland – The Office of Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price delivered a year-end report on the services provided to victims and their families. DA Price also announced the formation of the DAO’s first-ever Victims Advisory Commission, which builds on the progress of the past eleven months.

“Victims are a top priority for my administration,” said Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. “In the past eleven months, our office has been able to reduce huge backlogs, build a larger support team for victims, and increase our speed and equity in service delivery for victims and their families.”

DA Price was joined by the victim advocacy group VOICES of the BAY AREA and members of her executive team, including Victim/Witness Advocates Director Kristina Molina and Family Justice Center Director Karla Elias-Flores who reported a long list of achievements—among them hiring 12 victim-witness advocates to serve Alameda County’s culturally diverse and multilingual community and adding seven clinicians to the Family Justice Center. More multi-lingual speakers, including indigenous and African American advocates, were also onboarded, dramatically diversifying the advocate division. DA Price also hired the first transgender advocate.

In 2023, under DA Price’s leadership, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office has served more than 22,500 victims, provided over 60,000 services for victims and their families and paid more than $750,000 in compensation and burial expenses. Both Directors Molina and Elias-Flores reported on the dramatic reduction in backlogs created under the prior administration and resolved by DA Price’s administration.

Launching Alameda County’s first Victims Advisory Commission builds off this new tradition of progress. It is the third community commission created by DA Price since she took office, following the Mental Health Commission and the Reentry Commission. It is designed to ensure accountability and inspire innovative solutions through the participation of impacted community members.

 

Contact: damedia@acgov.org  

 

 

The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office (DAO) is one of California’s largest prosecutors’ offices and is led by Alameda County’s first Black woman District Attorney Pamela Y. Price. Price brings her vision to this office to fairly administer justice in the pursuit of thriving, healthy, and safe communities for every person who steps foot in Alameda County, no matter their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, income, or zip code. Price has been recognized as one of the most progressive prosecutors through her forward-thinking, innovative strategies to interrupt cycles of violence and crime and bring change to a criminal justice system rooted in systemic racism. Follow Madam DA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and @AlamedaCountyda on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price Charges Attempted Murder in Family Party Incident

December 4, 2023

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price Charges Attempted Murder in Family Party Incident

Oakland The Office of Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price announced it has charged Leandro Angelo Torres with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon.  The defendant is accused of accelerating his car into four women after disrupting a family party. Torres, 31, faces up to 12 years in state prison if convicted of the alleged charges in the complaint.

The facts, as we understand them, involve a dispute during a family gathering in San Lorenzo. According to Alameda County Sheriff’s Office investigators, on November 25, 2023, Leandro Torres was asked to leave the family party. He later returned and allegedly attacked his brother’s car. He then allegedly drove his vehicle towards four women standing in the street, one of whom was pinned between Torres’ car and a parked vehicle.

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price stated, “Family violence in Alameda County is a real problem, especially during the holidays. This incident obviously traumatized the entire family and the neighborhood. Mr. Torres’ uncontrolled anger will have severe consequences for him, his family, and the victims of this unprovoked attack. This is an unfortunate incident for the whole community.”

 

Contact: damedia@acgov.org  

 

The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office (DAO) is one of California’s largest prosecutors’ offices and is led by Alameda County’s first Black woman District Attorney Pamela Y. Price. Price brings her vision to this office to fairly administer justice in the pursuit of thriving, healthy, and safe communities for every person who steps foot in Alameda County, no matter their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, income, or zip code. Price has been recognized as one of the most progressive prosecutors through her forward-thinking, innovative strategies to interrupt cycles of violence and crime and bring change to a criminal justice system rooted in systemic racism. Follow Madam DA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and @AlamedaCountyda on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.