Oakland Police Shooting Investigation
Friday, March 27, 2009 at 06:07AM 
Oakland police are reviewing the deadliest day ever for their department to see if any mistakes were made in confrontations with an armed parole violator, and prosecutors were examining how parole officials tried to monitor the gunman before he killed 4 officers.
Police said the suspect, Lovell Mixon, 27, from Oakland, was on parole for assault with a deadly weapon. He had no-bail warrant for his arrest for violating parole. The Oakland Tribune reported Mixon had prior convictions in Alameda County for grand theft and possession of marijuana.
Police said Mixon wielded two different weapons. One gun was used at the first scene and an assault rifle was used at the apartment building where he was hiding.
Mixon's family spoke to NBC Bay Area Sunday. They said they were sorry for the families of the officers and added that there family was hurt as well. Mixon's sister said he brother was not a monster, adding that she thought he was probably scared.
"This is probably one of the worst incidents that has ever taken place in this history of the Oakland police department," Oakland police spokesman Jeff Thomason said.
The violence started with a traffic stop just two blocks from the Eastmont sub-station. You can actually see the crime scene from the substation parking lot.
The tragedy began when two motorcycle patrol officers pulled a driver over for a routine traffic stop in the 7600 block of MacArthur Boulevard just after 1 p.m.
Witnesses say the driver got out of his car and shot both officers before running away.
Another witness, who did not want be identified, told the Tribune he heard gun fire and then saw the officers laying on road.
The man told the reporter: "I went over to one officer and saw he was bleeding from his helmet pretty bad. The other officer was laying motionless."
The man said the officer laying near a car had two gun shot bullets near in his face. One bullet was lodged in his jaw and the other in his neck. The man said he gave the officer CPR until other police arrived.
A huge police presence immediately swarmed the scene.
Shortly after the first shooting, police said they learned the suspect was barricaded in a nearby apartment building. It was learned Sunday that the suspect's sister lived in the building.
Just after 3 p.m., at 73rd and Hillside SWAT teams entered the building in search of the man. A shoot-out followed with three additional Oakland SWAT officers being hit by gunfire. Two of those men died.
The suspect was also shot and killed.
(Source: MSNBC)
Former Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney and Prosecutor Mike Kraut (Kraut Law Group) discusses what may have happened and what the investigation may reveal.
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