On August 13, 2024, 53-year-old Will Schwerma was fatally shot while sitting in a parked vehicle in the 3400 block of Beach Street in Oakland. The location is described as an area frequented by people living in RVs and vans. Schwerma had been part of a group of residents from the large Wood Street homeless encampment who had sued Caltrans in federal court to prevent the state from clearing the site.

As of October 2024, no arrests have been announced and the Oakland Police Department has not identified suspects or a motive. The investigation faces an unusual complication: Oakland Crime Stoppers has been unable to offer rewards since January 2021 because of financial and operational problems, and Schwerma’s wife, Katie Miller, has said the lack of reward money could deter witnesses in a neighborhood she described as distrustful of police. The police say they did not intend to mislead the public and are working with Crime Stoppers to restore its functionality.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Oakland Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division at (510) 238-3951; can anyone who knew Will or witnessed activity near Beach Street on August 13 come forward?