Oakland

Man Found Dead at Oakland Motel Was Wanted for Livermore Murder: Police

Livermore police said that an 18-year-old man who apparently killed himself during a standoff at an East Oakland motel late Thursday has been identified as Jason Alexander Brown, who was wanted for a murder in their city last month.

Lt. John Hurd said police had obtained a warrant for Brown's arrest for one count of murder and one count of attempted murder for the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Jose Mendoza of Turlock in the parking lot of a CVS pharmacy at 1500 First St. in Livermore at about 6:10 p.m. on Oct. 24. A 22-year-old man was also injured in the shooting.

Hurd said at about 3 p.m. on Thursday Livermore police learned that Brown might be at a motel in the 8400 block of Edes Avenue in Oakland, so they surrounded the hotel with the assistance of Oakland police.

A standoff ensued and lasted for about eight hours. Hurd said when Oakland police deployed their tactical team and prepared to contact Brown at about 11 p.m. on Thursday multiple gunshots were fired from the room where he was staying.

Hurd said the Oakland tactical team tried to negotiate with Brown but ultimately found him dead in the room with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

No law enforcement officers discharged their guns during the incident, according to Hurd.

The day after the fatal shooting in Livermore police stormed a West Oakland home near the corner of Eighth and Center streets looking for Brown but he wasn't there.

Brown was later identified as a suspect in homicides in Fresno and Sacramento that occurred before the Livermore shooting.

The Fresno shooting killed 27-year-old Albert Thao and wounded another man as the two were eating at the MeKhong Thai restaurant on Sept. 12, according to Fresno police.

Sacramento police said Brown was a suspect in a Sept. 28 drug-related shooting in the 3600 block of Truxel Road that killed 53-year-old Walter Gibson. Sacramento police arrested a separate suspect in that case, 24-year-old John Bunch, late last month.

Investigators with Livermore police believe a second male suspect was involved in the CVS pharmacy shooting but haven't yet identified the person.

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