KRON4 security guard Kevin Nishita remembered 2 years later
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — The week of Thanksgiving marks a tragic anniversary for journalists at KRON4 in San Francisco. Two years ago, Kevin Nishita was shot while he was providing security for one of KRON4’s reporters on 14th Street in Oakland.
Nishita, 58, was attacked by a group of men who attempted to steal the reporter’s camera equipment. Nishita died in a hospital three days after the shooting. The reporter was not physically injured.
Shadihia Mitchell, the man accused of pulling the trigger, and his alleged accomplice, Hershel Hale, were arrested in March of 2022. Both men were charged with murder and are awaiting trial.
Oakland police said a third man in the group, Laron Gilbert, remains on the loose. The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force is still searching for Gilbert and a $40,000 reward is being offered for his arrest.
Before Nishita became a security guard for Bay Area television news stations, he served as a Colma Police Department officer for many years. A drawing of their fallen officer hangs on a wall inside the police station as a daily reminder of his service.
Colma police Cmdr. Sherwin Lum said losing Nishita doesn’t get any easier as time passes on. “It is very difficult. We’re reminded daily of his loss,” Lum told KRON4.
Nishita was known for his energy, charisma, sense of humor, and police skills for keeping the community safe.
“He treated people fairly all the way across the board no matter what it was. (Nishita) really made an impact on the police officers that worked for him. Not only was he a fair person out on the streets, he’s also fair to his employees and also a mentor to them,” Lum said.
Nishita’s wife, Virginia, previously told KRON4, “That was in his personality. To be that protector, to be that brave one that just wanted to protect people. He has a kind heart like that and that’s why he joined the police force.”
Nishita’s longtime friend from college, Scott, said their friendship is irreplaceable.
“Kevin was a very down to earth person. He took his job very seriously. But with friends, he was very open. I told my daughter …. this is the kind of best friend that you want. Somebody that you can confide in, somebody that you can be honest with, somebody that will help anybody that’s in need,” Scott said.
Nishita also served as a police officer for the San Jose, Hayward, and Oakland Housing Authority police departments. But it was his role as a husband, father, grandfather, and friend that makes his passing such a terrible and heartbreaking loss. Nishita leaves behind two children and three grandchildren.
KRON4 asked Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price about where the case stands.
Price said, “I can’t speak to the prosecution at this time other than to say that my office is prosecuting it. And I have every confidence not only in the deputy who is assigned to the case who is doing his job to get ready for trial, as well as the victim advocates, who are doing what they have been assigned to do … to work with the survivors of that terrible attack.”
The two suspects in custody, Mitchell and Hale, are scheduled to make their next court appearance on November 27.
Anyone with information on Gilbert’s whereabouts is asked to call the Oakland Police Department at 510-238-3426.
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