Lil Theze reportedly shot, killed by retired police captain
OAKLAND >> One man was killed and the former head of Oakland police’s Ceasefire anti-violence initiative was wounded in a shooting Thursday afternoon at a West Oakland gas station, authorities said.
The shooting happened just after 1 p.m. near one of the gas pumps at a Chevron station at 1700 Castro St., with officers initially responding to a ShotSpotter activation, according to a police statement Thursday night.
The man, reported to be Vallejo rapper Lil Theze by multiple outlets, was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity was initially withheld pending confirmation of next-of-kin notification. The other man who was shot suffered gunshot wounds and was taken to a hospital, police said.
Law enforcement sources who spoke to Bay Area News Group confirmed the wounded victim was Ersie Joyner III, who led the police department’s Ceasefire anti-violence initiative from 2013 until his retirement as a captain in 2019. That initiative worked to contact residents vulnerable to crime and violence and provide services.
At a press conference Thursday evening outside Highland Hospital, Oakland police Chief LeRonne Armstrong described the wounded victim as a retired former police officer “lawfully able to carry a firearm” who was in stable but serious condition after the shooting. Armstrong declined to confirm that that person was Joyner, citing a family request.
Armstrong did confirm that the person was pumping gas at the station when “he was approached by several individuals that began to rob him of his belongings. During the robbery at some point, shots were fired, and both victims sustained gunshot wounds.” Investigators were seeking a black fourdoor sedan seen leaving the scene, but Armstrong declined to identify a make or model. No arrests were announced.
Of surveillance video taken at the scene and shared publicly by at least one other news outlet, Armstrong said “when it’s appropriate to release that surveillance video, we will release that video, not at this time but we are obviously looking for those responsible for this and that video is key to our investigation.
“The video is very clear, high-quality video. We clearly see this incident unfold. We obviously see the unfortunate incident that occurred. We also see the things that happened prior to the actual robbery, so we know that they intended to focus on the victim in this case. I think the video was being very clear and very helpful.”