Murder charges filed in fatal shooting near Oakland courthouse

OAKLAND — A 43-year-old man has been charged with killing a motorist in an unprovoked shooting earlier this week near the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse in Oakland, according to prosecutors.

Justin Jenkins is also accused of shooting into an occupied vehicle and being a felon in possession of a firearm, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release Wednesday.

If convicted of the charges, Jenkins faces 36 years and eight months to life in state prison.

The victim — identified as 61-year-old Michael Seymour — was sitting in a minivan at 12th Street and Lake Merritt Boulevard just before noon on Sunday when he was shot, according to prosecutors and Oakland police.

The shooting was unprovoked, prosecutors said, adding that Jenkins has a “long history of gun violence.”

After the shooting, Seymour drove to the 1200 block of 1st Avenue, where he was involved in a collision, according to police. Officers arrived to find him suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.

Officers identified Jenkins as a suspect in the fatal shooting and arrested him the following day. Jenkins was found in possession of a loaded firearm, according to police.

“Gun violence, especially senseless violence involving motorists, is totally unacceptable in our community,” District Attorney Pamela Price said in the news release.

“Our prosecutors reviewed the evidence in this case and filed the appropriate charges in our pursuit of justice for Mr. Seymour and his family,” she continued. “I commend the Oakland police officers for their swift and thorough investigation and prompt arrest of the alleged shooter.”