The Berkeley Police Department arrested a local man Friday in connection with a shooting in South Berkeley at the end of May that sent another man to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg. Police said in court documents that the shooting may have been a case of mistaken identity.
According to the documents, on May 30 at about 7 p.m., police responded to the corner of Harmon and King streets, near Alcatraz Avenue, for a reported shooting. According to several witnesses, the victim was shot at seven times, and struck once, wrote police.
The victim, a 21-year-old Berkeley man, was taken to a local hospital for treatment, said police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer Coats.
The police investigation led to the arrest on June 14 of Aoderi Samad, 20, whose listed address is several blocks from the location of the shooting. According to what appears to be his Facebook page, Samad attended Berkeley High School.
Just before the shooting, according to court documents, the victim and his girlfriend were confronted by Samad, who thought the victim was someone he had gotten into a confrontation with earlier in the day. Police wrote that they believe Samad “was looking for the person with the intent on harming” him. Police also said Samad later apologized to the victim.
Coats said police sought an arrest warrant after the May shooting, and arrested Samad after spotting him south of campus Friday at about 8:15 p.m.
Police conducted a search of a Fairfield home linked to Samad — he had a key to the home with him at the time of his arrest — and said they found a .45-caliber handgun in a bedroom drawer; Samad’s girlfriend told police it was his gun, which he had recently brought to the home, where she lives with her young son, according to court documents.
Samad remains in custody at Santa Rita Jail, where he is being held without bail. He has been charged with attempted murder and possession of a firearm while on probation. According to court documents, Samad was on probation due to a previous gun possession conviction in 2012.
Another charge listed by the sheriff’s department relates to someone who possesses a firearm after allegedly committing a robbery as a minor and is under 30 years old. According to court documents, Samad has a juvenile conviction from April 2008 for a robbery, and is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Samad was scheduled for an attorney and plea hearing Wednesday morning at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse in downtown Oakland.
Related:
Berkeley Police: Gunshots on Harmon and more [05.15.13]
Berkeley Police newsletter: Car stop nets guns and more [04.25.13]
Berkeleyside Police Blotter: Crime in Berkeley, 2/28-3/6 [03.11.13]
Stabbing, arson suspect identified, dog died in fire [01.30.13]
Suspect stabs two, sets house on fire on Harmon Street [01.29.13]
Police Blotter: Recent crime in Berkeley [11.29.12]
Police blotter: Recent crime in Berkeley [02.17.12]
Berkeleyside publishes many articles every day. To see all our stories in chronological order, and read ones you may have missed, check out our All the News grid.
