The shooting of 50-year-old Pam Mullins as she was riding her bike on Sacramento Street on Dec. 4 was a targeted attack and not a random killing, according to authorities.
Mullins was not the victim of a bullet gone astray, but someone who was intentionally targeted, said Officer Jennifer Coats, police spokeswoman.
Police declined to discuss why Mullins, an in-home health worker, might be the target of an attack. While she had lived in Berkeley for many years, she had moved into an apartment on Sacramento Street near Ward — about a block from the shooting — just a few weeks before her death, according to family members.
Mullins was riding on Sacramento Street right in front of Longfellow Middle School when she was shot in the head around 11:36 p.m., according to police. Calls to 911 first reported that a woman might have been involved in a traffic accident, but when police responded they found Mullins on the sidewalk, bleeding profusely. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Thursday, police announced a $15,000 reward for any tips that lead to the arrest and conviction of Mullins’ killer.
Mullins was the fifth homicide in Berkeley this year. On Thursday, Berkeley police announced another, previously unknown homicide. In October, police discovered the body of Mark Stannard, 64, who was also known as Cowboy. Stannard’s body may have been exposed to the elements for a long time and it took officials until recently to determine he had been murdered. So Stannard’s death became Berkeley’s fourth homicide of the year and Mullins’ is now the fifth.
Related:
City of Berkeley offers reward to find ‘Cowboy’ killer [12.20.12]
Few clues in Berkeley’s fourth homicide of 2012 [12.06.12]
Sacramento Street neighbors reel from latest shooting [12.05.12]
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