OAKLAND — A 35-year-old man has been charged with attempting to kill an Oakland police officer in what the city’s chief called a “random” but targeted shooting.
What’s more, the suspect was earlier sentenced for allegedly shooting at police officers in a remarkably similar incident in 2015, but was released after serving less than half his sentence, Chief Floyd Mitchell said at a news conference Wednesday.
Robert Blackwell III was arrested on Feb. 10, nearly 12 hours after he allegedly shot up an Oakland patrol SUV with an officer inside. The officer was uninjured and Blackwell refused to talk to police when he was arrested, authorities said.
Mitchell applauded the “swift” filing of charges by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, which is awaiting the swearing-in of incoming DA Ursula Jones Dickson later this month.
“It is unfortunate that in today’s society we have individuals that randomly take shots at police officers,” Mitchell said of the shooting.
The officer who was in the patrol car has not been identified. Police say he was investigating another incident at Seminary and Kuhnle avenues when the SUV was struck by gunfire.
Blackwell was identified as a suspect through surveillance footage and evidence later recovered from the vehicle used in the shooting, authorities said. The shooting occurred at about 12:30 a.m. on Feb. 10 and Blackwell was in custody by 1 p.m. that same day, records show.
Blackwell was charged with attempted murder, shooting at an occupied car, and two gun possession counts. He is due in an Oakland court on Thursday morning to enter a plea, court records show.
In 2015, Blackwell was arrested for shooting at officers who were investigating a recent homicide, Mitchell said. He was sentenced to 10 years for shooting at an occupied police car, but released within four years of receiving the sentence, according to Mitchell and court records.
At the time of the Feb. 10 shooting, he was out on bail in a gun possession case, authorities said.