Cassius Stroman, 42, a San Francisco resident, was shot and killed in a parking lot near the Liege Spirits Lounge on Washington Street in Oakland on March 10, 2019, about 7:45 p.m. According to witness accounts and court records, an altercation began after Stroman asked a woman for her phone number and was rebuffed; the exchange escalated when a woman struck at Stroman and he allegedly swung back, though both punches missed. At that point 22-year-old Oakland resident Deontre Brown, who had not previously interacted with Stroman, pulled a pistol and opened fire. Stroman was killed and a 37-year-old bystander from Rancho Cordova was wounded in the arm.

Brown fled and was arrested in Sparks, Nevada, on March 12, 2019. He was identified through video surveillance and witness statements, extradited to Alameda County, and originally charged with murder and assault with a semi-automatic firearm. At the preliminary hearing, testimony noted Brown had witnessed domestic violence in his family home, which was presented as a mitigating factor. Brown later pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter; murder and assault charges were dropped, and he was sentenced to 12 years in state prison on May 5, 2023. Stroman’s family opposed the plea and said the sentence was too lenient, with his father Howard Stroman Sr. expressing disagreement in a letter to the judge.

Are there details about the moments before the shooting or witnesses who haven’t been interviewed that could shed more light on what happened?