UPDATE: Oakland Police Arrest 3 Suspects in Shooting of Retired OPD Captain Ersie Joyner
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Police in Oakland on Monday confirmed the arrests of three suspects in connection with the Oct. 21 robbery and shooting of retired Oakland police captain Ersie Joyner.
Police did not release many details in regards to exactly when the suspects were arrested, though they did not in the Twitter post that two of the suspects were taken into custody in Elk Grove and one was arrested in Houston, Texas.
Joyner was shot in an apparent attempted robbery that happened in broad daylight at around 1 p.m. on the afternoon of Oct. 21 at gas station off Interstate 980 in Oakland.
Surveillance video obtained by KPIX shows Joyner pumping gas when three men rush him from a vehicle on the other side of the pump. One suspect appears to grab the cellphone Joyner was holding in his hand and other suspects appear to be digging in Joyner's pockets, then pull a chain off his neck.
Joyner does not appear to struggle with the men but, as the suspects open Joyner's car's doors and one appears to take his backpack, Joyner pulls out a pistol and opens fire.
The incident happened on the 1700 block of Castro Street in West Oakland, according to ShotSpotter data. Responding officers arrived on the scene to find Joyner and one other man suffering from gunshot wounds.
One suspect died at the scene and two others fled in a black Nissan sedan.
Joyner was taken to Highland Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds, Alameda County Sheriff spokesman Sgt. Ray Kelly confirmed to KPIX. That night, a law enforcement source told KPIX that Joyner was out of surgery and recovering in the ICU at Highland Hospital after being shot six times.
The following day, Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong visited Joyner and spoke with KPIX about his condition after his visit.
"Captain Joyner is recovering. He's in good spirits. [I'm] just really happy to see him and have a chance to be able to say we appreciate everything he's done. And we look forward to his continuing recovery," said Armstrong, just in front of Highland.
The chief said the motive appeared to be a random robbery. Law enforcement sources told KPIX 5 it was unlikely the three suspects knew Joyner.
Joyner grew up in poor East Oakland and rose through the ranks of OPD. He spent 28 years on the force before retiring in 2019. After his retirement, he became a part-owner of two cannabis companies.
"He was also beloved, beloved by the rank and file, beloved by members of all levels of the organization," said Barry Donelan, president of the Oakland Police Officers' Association.
