Three men sentenced to decades in prison for murder of bay area officer

A judge in Alameda County handed down lengthy prison terms to three men convicted of the 2021 killing of Sergeant Kevin Nishita, a veteran Bay Area police officer who had transitioned to work as a security guard.

Nishita's murder suspects accept plea deals

Laron Gilbert, Shadihia Mitchell, and Hershell Hale pleaded no contest to charges of first-degree murder with a gang enhancement and robbery. Gilbert, the primary defendant, faces 30 years to life in prison, while Mitchell and Hale each received 25-year sentences.

The trio had accepted plea deals in February, avoiding a scheduled trial. Nishita, a 53-year-old father of two, was shot on November 24, 2021, while providing security for a television news crew in downtown Oakland.

Prosecutors alleged that Gilbert, Mitchell, and Hale attempted to steal camera equipment, prompting Nishita to intervene. He was struck by gunfire and later succumbed to his injuries.

Authorities apprehended Mitchell and Hale in 2022, while Gilbert evaded capture until U.S. Marshals found him in Kansas City, Missouri, in early 2024.