Three defendants plead guilty in Oakland killing of security guard and retired officer Kevin Nishita

Plea deal reached before scheduled trial

Three defendants charged in the 2021 killing of Kevin Nishita, a security guard working with a television news crew in downtown Oakland, have entered guilty pleas in Alameda County Superior Court ahead of a trial that had been scheduled to begin in March.

Laron Gilbert pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. Two co-defendants, Shadihia Mitchell and Hershel Hale, pleaded no contest to robbery charges connected to the attempted theft of camera equipment that investigators say preceded the shooting.

What prosecutors say happened on Nov. 24, 2021

Nishita, a retired Bay Area police officer who had worked for multiple agencies before retiring, was providing security for a TV news crew on Nov. 24, 2021, when investigators say three men attempted to rob the crew of its equipment near 14th Street in downtown Oakland.

Authorities have said Nishita was shot during the confrontation and later died of his injuries. The case drew regional attention because the shooting occurred while journalists were working in the field, and because Nishita was known in local news and law-enforcement circles.

Terms outlined in court and expected sentencing

Under the agreement described in court accounts of the proceedings, Gilbert is expected to receive a sentence of 30 years to life in state prison. Mitchell and Hale face lengthy prison terms tied to the negotiated robbery convictions, with sentencing expected to result in substantial time in custody.

All three defendants remained in custody following the pleas, and formal sentencing hearings were still pending at the time the agreement was made public.

A case shaped by evolving allegations and charging decisions

The prosecution of Nishita’s killing has included shifts in how authorities described responsibility for the fatal shooting. Earlier charging decisions were revisited as the case moved through court and as all three defendants came into custody. In 2024, prosecutors publicly refiled and adjusted allegations as part of a broader re-evaluation of evidence in the case.

The plea agreement resolves the case without a jury trial that was expected to be lengthy and heavily contested, and it eliminates the uncertainty of verdicts and post-trial appeals that frequently accompany homicide prosecutions.

Key case facts at a glance

• Victim: Kevin Nishita, security guard for a TV news crew and retired Bay Area police officer
• Date of shooting: Nov. 24, 2021
• Location: Downtown Oakland, near 14th Street
• Pleas: Gilbert pleaded guilty to first-degree murder; Mitchell and Hale pleaded no contest to robbery charges

The pleas bring the criminal case to a resolution phase while the court schedules sentencing and finalizes custody terms.