Eric Boykin, 26, of Oakland, California, was killed on March 25, 2008. His death came during a year when Oakland recorded 125 homicides, above the city’s five-year average and concentrated in roughly 100 blocks in East and West Oakland. The case sits against a broader backdrop of understaffed policing and low homicide clearance rates in the city; in 2009 the Oakland Police Department’s clearance rate was about 42 percent, one of the lowest among large California cities, and detective caseloads exceeded available capacity.

Families in the city have reported strained relations with law enforcement and limited communication during investigations, factors cited as contributing to many unsolved killings. The killing of Eric Boykin is one of the tragedies tied to this wider pattern of violence and institutional challenges in Oakland.

If anyone knew Eric or has information about his death, please share what you can with local investigators.