Rafael Cervantes

Rafael Cervantes was a 20-year-old Hispanic man from Antioch, California, remembered by his family as one of the most loving, caring, and generous people they knew. A relative wrote that he "lived his life to make others happy." His life was cut short in a shooting in the summer of 2019.

Late on the night of July 2, 2019, Rafael and a 23-year-old acquaintance, also from Antioch, traveled to East Oakland to visit a man named Jose Wilson. Around 11:45 p.m., as the three men stood on the street in the 1200 block of 87th Avenue, an unknown person approached and shot them.

Jose Wilson, a 29-year-old who lived near the scene, died there. First responders rushed Rafael and his other friend to a local hospital. The 23-year-old man survived and was reported to be recovering from his injuries, but Rafael Cervantes succumbed to his wounds the next morning on July 3, 2019.

The Oakland Police Department determined that the two men from Antioch were acquaintances who had come to see Wilson, but authorities have not publicly stated how the men knew each other or the reason for their visit. A motive for the shooting has not been determined. In the wake of his death, Rafael's family started a GoFundMe campaign to help with expenses. As of July 2019, no arrests had been made. The case remains unsolved, and Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to an arrest.