Security guard with KRON4 dies of injuries in robbery bid
Kevin Nishita, a former police officer, was wounded protecting news crew
OAKLAND >> A security guard who was shot during an attempted robbery while accompanying a KRON-TV Channel 4 news crew has died from injuries, authorities said.
The guard, Kevin Nishita, was a former police officer who had been hired by security company Star Protection Agency to protect a news crew as it reported on a recent crime in downtown Oakland.
Nishita died Saturday morning at Highland Hospital and was taken to the Alameda County Coroner’s Office in a motorcade that included police from San Jose, Hayward and Colma, where he had previously worked as an officer, authorities said. He began his career in law enforcement with the Oakland Housing Authority Police Department.
“I am deeply saddened by the death of former OHA Officer Kevin Nishita; he was a very kind person who sought to make communities not just safer but happier places for everyone,” said Carel Duplessis, the department’s chief, in a statement. “He will be missed by me and all who had the pleasure to know him.”
The KRON4 news crew had been covering a recent robbery of a clothing store on the 300 block of 14th Street in Oakland on Wednesday when an assailant tried to steal the station’s camera equipment.
Nishita was shot during the ensuing attempted robbery, suffering a lower abdomen injury. He succumbed to injuries at 4:39 a.m. Saturday, authorities said.
Oakland police are investigating the shooting that led to Nishita’s death, and on Saturday morning released a surveillance photo of a vehicle that investigators believe the suspect
was driving. The vehicle is a white Acura TL between 2004 and 2008, with no front license plate.
It is the 126th death this year that Oakland police are investigating as a homicide.
Multiple Bay Area law enforcement agencies issued statements on Saturday recognizing Nishita’s police career.
“His contagious smile, passion to serve others, and an unmatched work ethic embodied the best of all of us,” said San Jose Police Chief Anthony Mata. Nishita was employed by the city’s Police Department from 2001 to 2012.
“As a patrol officer, gang detective, and as a person, Kevin modeled bravery, kindness, and dedication helping make San Jose a better place for everyone,” Mata added.
Michael Cannon, who employed Nishita for contract work at a Southern California-based security firm, remembered him as a dedicated guard who was deeply committed to protecting his fellow community members.
“He was a selfless man,” Cannon said in an interview. “Kevin’s the kind of guy who, if you had a lastminute assignment, you’d call Kevin and he’d say, ‘What time?’ And he’d be there.”
Nishita leaves behind a wife, two children and two grandchildren.
A reward of $32,500 has been offered to anyone with information on the shooting, police said. The department, KRON4, its parent company Nexstar Media Inc. and Star Protection Agency all made contributions to the reward amount.
Bay Area news reporters have had past brush-ups with crime while out on assignment. On Tuesday, a TV crew for NBC Bay Area was robbed while covering a public announcement by the San Francisco district attorney.
And earlier this year, a television news crew’s interview with Oakland police was interrupted by two suspects trying to steal their cameras at gunpoint, though that robbery attempt was thwarted by the crew’s private security guard who pulled out his own firearm and warded off the assailants.
Texas-based El Dorado Insurance, which has an office in Bakersfield, reported a year ago that security firms have seen “surprising increases in demand” from news agencies that must send reporters out into the streets with valuable equipment.
On Saturday, several reporters with Bay Areabased television news stations said they were grieving Nishita’s death as a community.
“We are devastated by the loss of security guard and our friend, Kevin Nishita,” KRON4 reported its Vice President and General Manager Jim Rose said in a statement. “Our deepest sympathy goes to Kevin’s wife, his children, his family, and to all his friends and colleagues. This senseless loss of life is due to yet another violent criminal act in the Bay Area. We hope that offering a reward will help lead to the arrest of those responsible so they can face justice for this terrible tragedy.”
Frank Pine, executive editor of the Bay Area News Group, in a statement said, “We are so sorry to learn of the passing of Kevin Nishita, and we offer our sincere condolences to Nishita’s family, Star Protection Agency and KRONTV Channel 4.”