UPDATE: Oakland Police Recover Possible Suspect Vehicle in Kevin Nishita Murder Investigation
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Police in Oakland on Monday announced the recovery of a suspect vehicle similar to the one they were seeking in connection with the shooting that killed news security guard and former police officer Kevin Nishita nearly a month ago.
The press conference held Monday afternoon by Oakland Chief of Police LeRonne L. Armstrong began with a two minute and 13 second moment of silence, one second for each of the 133 victims of homicide in the city so far this year.
Armstrong went on to say that officers had recovered a car that was similar to the white four-door Acura sedan that had been identified as a possible suspect vehicle.
Police had previously identified the suspect vehicle as a white four-door 2004-2008 Acura TL sedan, with a sunroof and no front license plate.
"We are making progress in the investigation," said Armstrong. "We are analyzing everything within that vehicle. We feel confident that we will continue to follow up on all leads. Community members have been very helpful in this investigation, providing information to help us secure this vehicle. We will continue our investigation to determine if this is the right vehicle."
Police did not say where the vehicle had been found or provide any additional information on its recovery.
Armstrong said the department would provide additional information on the investigation once they had new updates in the Nishita case.
Armstrong also announced an organizational restructuring for the department that would create a sixth district being patrolled by officers in East Oakland, addressing an increasing number of calls from that part of the city.
Nishita was providing security for a KRON-TV news crew on the 300 block of 14th Street on November 24 when he was shot during an attempted armed robbery. He died from his injuries over the Thanksgiving holiday.
The company Nishita worked for provides security for Bay Area TV news crews, including those at KPIX 5.
"He was a part of our news family. The loss is just tremendous," said KPIX 5 reporter Maria Cid Medina following Nishita's death. "The entire TV market is feeling the loss — in San Francisco and in the Bay Area."
A former police officer, Nishita worked for multiple Bay Area law enforcement agencies, including departments in San Jose, Hayward and Colma.
Law enforcement from all over the Bay Area paid their respects to Nishita as his body was escorted from Alameda to a funeral home in Mountain View earlier this month. A memorial was held for Nishita on December 9th in San Jose.
Nishita is survived by his wife, two children, and three grandchildren. A trust fund has been set up to help his family. More information on donating to the trust fund can be found here.
The Oakland Police Department and Crime Stoppers of Oakland have offered a reward of up to $32,500 for information leading to an arrest.
Police are asking the individual who shot the video or anyone with information about the case to contact the department's Homicide Section at 510-238-3821.
