Insets, clockwise from top: Kevin Nishita, Laron Gilbert, Hershel Hale and Shadihia Mitchell (Oakland Police Department). Background: The area where Kevin Nishita was killed in Oakland, Calif., by Laron Gilbert, Hershel Hale and Shadihia Mitchell (KPIX/YouTube).
A former police officer from California, who had taken on a security role for a news crew during his day off, tragically lost his life in a robbery carried out by three men. These individuals have now been sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
Kevin Nishita, 56, a retired Oakland Police officer, was providing protection for a television news crew when he was fatally shot during an attempted equipment theft. The incident, which occurred in November 2021, just a day before Thanksgiving, led to murder and other serious charges against Laron Gilbert, Shadihia Mitchell, and Hershel Hale. This week, an Alameda County court handed down their sentences.
Gilbert, identified as the shooter, received a sentence of 30 years to life after pleading no contest to first-degree murder. Meanwhile, Mitchell and Hale were each sentenced to 25 years following their no contest pleas to robbery. The convictions were finalized in February.
During the sentencing hearing, Kevin Nishita’s wife delivered a poignant victim impact statement. She recalled how her husband had agreed to work “just a few hours” on the day of the incident.
“Saying ‘OK’ has haunted me,” Virginia Nishita expressed, as reported by local CBS affiliate KPIX. “I wish I could turn back time and tell him, ‘No, it’s your day off. Let’s focus on preparing our Thanksgiving meal and enjoy our time together. Don’t go to work.’ I wish I could have stopped him that day.”
Kevin and Virginia Nishita shared two children and three grandchildren. At the time of the shooting, he was providing security for local CW affiliate KRON in Oakland. He succumbed to his injuries three days later while in the hospital.
“During the course of the investigation through surveillance video, forensic evidence and witness statements, Laron Gilbert, Hershel Hale and Shadihia Mitchell were identified as the suspects responsible for the attempted robbery,” Oakland Police said in charging documents obtained and previously reported by Law&Crime.
Nishita worked with the Oakland Housing Authority, Hayward Police Department, San Jose Police Department, and Colma Police Department over the course of his career.
Speaking shortly after the murder, his daughter Maureen Campos described how her father was preparing to join them on a vacation.
“I know for one thing he wants us to stop crying,” she told KPIX at the time. “I know he’ll want us to take the vacation, but to be honest it’s too hard to do, and I don’t even know how many months can pass until we can go on that airplane.”
