Eugene Demencio Richardson, Jr., was a 31-year-old man from San Leandro, California. Born in California to parents Tiffany and Eugene Richardson, Jr., he worked as a porter. According to his family, he was a loving person who would be deeply missed by his many relatives and friends.
On the night of Friday, May 17, 2024, Richardson was in East Oakland with a 32-year-old man. At around 10:15 p.m., while they were standing near the intersection of 89th Avenue and D Street, both men were shot. Authorities later stated that Richardson had a firearm and brandished a pistol shortly before he was shot. The second man ran from the scene and later walked into an East Bay hospital with a bullet wound to his leg, which he survived. Richardson was critically injured and died in a hospital three days later, on May 20, 2024.
Oakland police opened a homicide investigation, stating they believed Richardson and the other man were the intended targets of the shooting.
Investigators began working to determine whether Richardson knew the person who shot him. The killing was recorded as the 31st homicide investigated by the department that year.
A few days later, the investigation led to an arrest. On May 22, 2024, police took a 40-year-old Sacramento man into custody on suspicion of gun possession in connection with the case. However, the man was later released without charges.
As of June 2024, the case remains unsolved. Oakland Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering a reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to the arrest of the shooter. Anyone with information is asked to call the police at 510-238-3821 or 510-238-7950, or Crime Stoppers at 510-777-8572.
