Shooting in East Oakland Hills leaves public works employee dead

A employee of the Oakland Public Works Department was shot to death early Tuesday morning in a residential area of the East Oakland Hills, authorities said.

The shooting happened at around 6:15 a.m. near Old Quarry Loop and Leona Drive in the Monte Vista Villas subdivision at the former Leona Quarry site. The Oakland Police Department said that officers who responded to reports of a person down arrived to find a man who had been shot, and he died at the scene.

The City of Oakland identified the suspect as 47-year-old Jermaine Newton, an employee of Oakland Public Works since 2022. A city spokesperson said Newton had recently started a new position in the department as a maintenance worker with with the Keep Oakland Clean and Beautiful Division.

The spokesperson said the shooting did not happen while Newton was on the job.

"Yesterday, our city tragically lost a dedicated public servant to an act of gun violence," Mayor Barbara Lee said in a prepared statement. "In Oakland, we have made 'Love Life' our motto, denouncing violence and the conditions that create it. While we continue to make progress in our violence interruption and prevention efforts, this tragedy reinforces the work we still have to do to save lives."

There was no word on any suspects or motive in the shooting. Police asked anyone with information, video, or photos related to this case is asked to contact the homicide unit at 510-238-3821 or the tip line at 510-238-7950. Photos or videos can be sent to cidvideos@oaklandca.gov.