Retired police officer shot dead as crime rises in California

Kevin Nishita, a former police officer with the Colma Police Department, died in the hospital on Saturday, three days after he was shot while protecting a news crew reporting on a robbery at an Oakland, California clothing store.

According to sources, Nishita was working as a guard with the Armed Protection Agency when armed robbers shot him in the abdomen while they were attempting to steal camera equipment from the KRON-TV news crew, The Washington Examiner reported.

He was "rushed to a local hospital for medical attention and, despite the hospital staff’s best efforts, succumbed to his injuries this morning," the Colma Police Department said in a press release.

Nishita served on the Colma Police Department from 2012 to 2018, filling multiple roles including detective, field training officer and officer in charge. He was promoted to sergeant in 2015.

"Kevin was a son, a husband, father, a grandfather, a co-worker, and a friend," a Colma Police Department press release read. "He will be dearly missed."

KRON4 Vice President and General Manager Jim Rose also released a statement following Nishita’s death.

“We are devastated by the loss of security guard and our friend, Kevin Nishita. Our deepest sympathy goes to Kevin’s wife, his children, his family, and to all his friends and colleagues. This senseless loss of life is due to yet another violent criminal act in the Bay Area. We hope that offering a reward will help lead to the arrest of those responsible so they can face justice for this terrible tragedy,” he wrote.

As robbery and violent crime rates continue to rise, Californians are becoming increasingly weary of laws passed in recent years, including Proposition 47, which reclassified felony theft under $950 as a misdemeanor.

“As a Democrat, I believe in criminal justice reform. There are inequities in our system where we need to create a justice system for all. However, we have gone too far,” said California state Sen. Melissa Hurtado. “The state of California has been doing it wrong. It needs to change.”