Oakland police, FBI solve 2015 fatal shooting of musician

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ByEric Thomas KGO logo
Friday, October 27, 2017
Oakland police, FBI solve 2015 fatal shooting of musician
A task force of Oakland police detectives and FBI agents has solved the 2015 killing of a musician who was the unintended victim of a stray bullet.

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- A task force of Oakland police detectives and FBI agents has solved the 2015 killing of a musician who was the unintended victim of a stray bullet.

Investigators say they hope this solution can bring some closure to Emiliano Nevarez's family, but that may be difficult because the suspect can never be brought to trial.

EXCLUSIVE: Mom of innocent bystander killed in Oakland speaks out

Nevarez was 26 years old when he was killed, hit in the neck by a stray bullet on Easter Sunday in 2015 while getting ready to load up his gear after his band played a gig at the Golden Bull nightclub.

"Through the partnership with the FBI and the media, we got tips from the community, which was needed," said Oakland Police Dept. Sgt. Eric Milina said.

"This is a case that should not have happened and it's something we do not forget about, the victims," said FBI special agent John Bennett.

Investigators say the tips and a surveillance picture from the area near the time of the shooting led them to Dejour Jamerson, who had addresses in Oakland and Vallejo. Detectives say Jamerson was targeting someone he had argued with earlier.

"And he missed the intended target and struck two innocent people. One of them was Emilio," Milina said.

The killing is solved but the suspect will never stand trial for it.

"The thing about this case is that Mr. Jamerson passed away, he is deceased," Milina said.

He was killed last November in a car crash during a chase by police in Placer County on a completely different matter.

The case was solved by a joint task force of local police and federal agents. The FBI says it was glad to play a role in finding Nevarez's killer.

"He's part of the fabric and the thread here in Oakland. For someone to senselessly take somebody's life and tear that fabric apart in Oakland is not something we're going to stand for," Bennett said.