Justin Sessions, 25, of Oakland, California, was shot and killed on the evening of February 13, 2017. The shooting happened at about 7:59 p.m. in the 2000 block of East 21st Street in East Oakland. He was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead at 8:17 p.m. Sessions had graduated from Cal State University Northridge and worked for an express mail delivery company; he was the sixth homicide victim in Oakland that year.

Investigators say Justin and his brother Joshua had arranged to meet people to buy laptops at a discounted price, and that the meeting was a setup for a robbery. During the attempted robbery, Justin was shot in the back while trying to flee. Two suspects were identified: Odell Jones and Darryl Hickman. Hickman arranged the meeting, pleaded no contest to second-degree murder as part of a deal that reduced the charge to manslaughter with an 11-year term, and agreed to testify against Jones.

Jones was tried on charges including murder, robbery, and assault. The prosecution relied heavily on testimony from Hickman and Joshua Sessions; the defense challenged both witnesses, pointing to Hickman’s incentive to get a deal and to inconsistencies in Joshua’s identification. The jury acquitted Jones of all charges. If anyone has information about Justin’s death or the events that night, please come forward.