Miguel T. Soto was a 43-year-old veteran Oakland Police Department officer who was fatally shot on June 22, 1994. Soto, a 22-year department member who had earned multiple commendations including a Medal of Valor for a prior off-duty arrest, was found unconscious behind his patrol car with the engine and lights still on. A motorist discovered him and used the car radio to call for help. Despite wearing a protective vest, he had been shot at least twice and died shortly after being taken to Highland Hospital.

The shooting occurred during what appeared to be a pedestrian stop near 36th Street and Market Street in a northwest Oakland neighborhood known at the time for heavy prostitution activity and violent drug gangs. Soto’s service weapon remained in its holster, suggesting he had no time to defend himself. Raymond Lamont Scott was arrested in San Diego, later convicted for the killing and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Did anyone who lived or worked near 36th and Market in 1994 observe anything that night or have information about the neighborhood’s conditions then?