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Press Release: Reward Offered For Information About City of Berkeley's First Homicide of 2012

From Sgt. Mary Kusmiss, Berkeley Police Information Officer
Monday January 30, 2012 - 05:05:00 PM

The City of Berkeley is offering a $15,000 reward, and Bay Area Crime Stoppers (BACS) is offering an additional $2,000 reward, for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect or suspects responsible for the City of Berkeley’s first homicide of 2012.

On Thursday, January 26, 2012 at about 6:50 p.m., the City of Berkeley Police Department (BPD) got a flurry of calls from community members reporting gunshots in the area of Shattuck and Ashby Avenues, Shattuck and Emerson and around Essex Streets. Officers found Kenneth Allen Warren, 35, of Hercules who had sustained gunshots wounds and was on Emerson Street east of Shattuck Avenue. City of Berkeley Fire Department (BFD) Paramedics transported Warren to a local Hospital’s Trauma Center where he was pronounced dead by physicians there.  

BPD Homicide detectives and a complement of other BPD personnel began the investigation immediately, and have been working throughout the weekend. The crime is being investigated as a homicide. Thus far, BPD has not made any arrests or confirmed a possible motive in the case. BPD does not believe that this was a random shooting. 

BPD is urging anyone who may know anything about this homicide to call the BPD Homicide detail at (510) 981-5741 or the 24 hour BPD non emergency number of (510) 981-5900. If a community member wishes to remain anonymous, he/she is encouraged to call the Bay Area Crimes Stoppers (BACS) at (800)-222-TIPS (8477). Any information may be critical to solving this crime. Sometimes the smallest or seemingly insignificant detail can be the key to arresting the suspect or suspects in any crime