OAKLAND — The man arrested last week in the killing of Oakland rapper Too Short’s brother has so far avoided charges in that case, but is facing weapons charges tied to another killing just days later in East Oakland.
Maijji Jackson, 33, has not been charged by Alameda County prosecutors in the Jan. 29 killing of Wayne Shaw, 61, despite being arrested him last week and booked into Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of murder and burglary. Shaw died during a botched burglary at an East Oakland marijuana grow building after a shootout between himself and the burglars, authorities said.
But Jackson was charged this week with three weapons-related counts linked to a separate killing just days later in the driveway of an East Oakland house. The charges include possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of an assault weapon and possession of ammunition by a prohibited person, court records show.
Jackson subsequently missed a Thursday court date on those weapons charges, prompting Alameda County Judge Elena Condes to issue a $110,000 bench warrant for his arrest, according to court records. It was the same day that Jackson posted $5,000 bail, according to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
In the most recent killing, authorities say Darnell Harvey, 33, was fatally shot around 1:45 a.m. on Feb. 9 at a house on the 2500 block of 62nd Avenue. The shooting triggered nearby electronic gunshot detection systems, and when Oakland police arrived, they found Harvey suffering from numerous gunshot wounds. He died after being taken to a hospital.
Inside the house’s garage, investigators said they found an AR-15-style pistol.
Jackson was arrested on Feb. 13 in the killing of Too Short’s older brother, and while in custody on that case, he allegedly admitted owning the AR-15-style pistol found at the site of the second killing, according to court records.
At the time, Jackson had been on supervised release in a voluntary manslaughter case from more than a decade ago, records show. He had originally been charged with murder for the October 2009 fatal shooting of a 23-year-old man during a sideshow in East Oakland, but pleaded no contest to the lesser charge and received a seven-year prison sentence, according to court records. He has been accused of multiple parole violations since being released from prison in 2017, the records show.
The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office declined to speak about the decision not to file a murder charge against Jackson, saying in a statement that the office “does not comment on open cases being prosecuted in court.”
Shaw, who died in the January shooting, was the older brother of Todd Anthony Shaw — an Oakland rapper known as Too Short who began his career in the 1980s selling cassettes on the streets of Oakland. He eventually struck it big with “Born to Mack” in 1987 and “Life is… Too Short” the following year — albums that were certified gold and twice-platinum, respectively.
Authorities said they later found a phone allegedly tied to Jackson on the floorboard of the vehicle used by the shooter or shooters in Shaw’s death.
Surveillance footage from that killing showed a passenger getting out of the car as it pulled up to the marijuana grow house where Shaw had been working that morning — after which the vehicle rammed into the building’s garage door, authorities said.
Shaw then stepped out of the building and a gun battle ensued, with Shaw firing at the vehicle while the passenger simultaneously fired at Shaw, authorities said. Oakland police said the shooter ran away, while the car — along with a second vehicle that had been tagging along — sped off. The shooter’s vehicle was later ditched about a block away, authorities said. Police have said they are looking for other suspects.
Jakob Rodgers is a senior breaking news reporter. Call, text or send him an encrypted message via Signal at 510-390-2351, or email him at jrodgers@bayareanewsgroup.com.