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2009 shootings of Oakland police officers

SOLVED200974th Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard, East Oakland, California3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026

Documents violence · sexual violence — written to inform, not to shock.

Illustrative

On March 21, 2009, at approximately 1:08 p.m., Oakland Police Department Sergeant Mark Dunakin and Officer John Hege conducted a routine traffic stop of Lovelle Mixon near 74th Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard in East Oakland. Mixon, a 26-year-old convicted felon wanted on a no-bail warrant for a parole violation, opened fire with a 9mm semiautomatic pistol without warning, shooting both officers, then exited his vehicle and fired additional shots into them at close range before fleeing on foot. Sergeant Dunakin died at the scene; Officer Hege was mortally wounded and died three days later, on March 24, after being declared brain dead and having his organs donated.

An intensive manhunt involving roughly 200 officers from multiple agencies followed. A local resident identified Mixon's location as his sister's apartment on 74th Avenue, information that was relayed to Lieutenant Christopher Mufarreh, who ordered a SWAT team to the scene. At 3:02 p.m., SWAT officers raided the apartment. In a poorly lit room, Mixon, who had obtained an SKS carbine, shot and mortally wounded Sergeant Ervin Romans and wounded Sergeant Pat Gonzales in the shoulder. As officers pushed into a bedroom, Mixon shot and mortally wounded Sergeant Daniel Sakai. Gonzales was struck in the head by a bullet deflected by his helmet. Gonzales and Alameda County Sheriff's Deputy Derek Pope then returned fire, killing Mixon at 3:20 p.m.

In total, four Oakland police officers were killed: Sergeant Mark Dunakin, Officer John Hege, Sergeant Ervin Romans, and Sergeant Daniel Sakai. Sergeant Pat Gonzales was wounded but survived. Mixon had an extensive criminal history dating to age 13, including a prior felony conviction for assault with a deadly weapon and armed robbery. Investigators later determined through DNA evidence, reported in May 2009, that Mixon had raped a 12-year-old girl in February 2009 and had robbed and raped two women on the morning of the shootings, hours before the traffic stop.

The shootings prompted significant public reaction in Oakland. A public funeral for the four officers at Oracle Arena on March 27, 2009, drew an estimated 21,000 attendees, including Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, and Attorney General Jerry Brown. Separately, a vigil organized by the Uhuru Movement in support of Mixon was held on March 25, attended by approximately 60 people, including members of Mixon's family. Community leaders expressed concern about racial tensions between Oakland's Black community and the police department following the incident, given that Mixon was Black and the officers killed were white or Asian. Memorial designations were later made in the officers' honor, including sections of Interstate 580 named for Sergeant Sakai and for all four officers.

Key facts

Victims
Mark Dunakin, Daniel Sakai, Ervin Romans, John Hege
Date
2009
Location
74th Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard, East Oakland, California
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2009-03-21

    Lovelle Mixon fatally shoots Sergeant Mark Dunakin and Officer John Hege during a traffic stop on MacArthur Boulevard in East Oakland.

  2. 2009-03-21

    SWAT team raids an apartment on 74th Avenue; Mixon fatally shoots Sergeant Ervin Romans and Sergeant Daniel Sakai and wounds Sergeant Pat Gonzales before being killed by return fire.

  3. 2009-03-22

    Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger orders flags at the state capitol flown at half-staff; Officer Hege is pronounced brain dead.

  4. 2009-03-23

    Officer John Hege's organs are harvested; he is disconnected from life support and dies.

  5. 2009-03-24

    A public vigil for the slain officers is held in Oakland, attended by over 1,000 people.

  6. 2009-03-25

    A vigil for Lovelle Mixon, organized by the Uhuru Movement, is held on MacArthur Boulevard.

  7. 2009-03-27

    A public funeral for the four slain officers is held at Oracle Arena, attended by an estimated 21,000 people.

  8. 2009-03-31

    A funeral service for Lovelle Mixon is held at Fuller Funerals in Oakland, attended by approximately 500 people.

  9. 2009-05-04

    A state laboratory reports DNA evidence linking Mixon to a February 2009 rape of a 12-year-old girl and to the rape of two women on the morning of the shootings.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Mark Dunakin

    VICTIM

    Oakland Police Department motorcycle sergeant, fatally shot during the traffic stop.

    citation on file

  • Daniel Sakai

    VICTIM

    Oakland Police Department SWAT sergeant, fatally shot during the apartment raid.

    citation on file

  • Ervin Romans

    VICTIM

    Oakland Police Department SWAT sergeant, fatally shot during the apartment raid.

    citation on file

  • Christopher Mufarreh

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Oakland Police Department lieutenant who ordered the SWAT team to the apartment and directed the operation.

    citation on file

  • Derek Pope

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Alameda County Sheriff's deputy who fired on and helped kill Mixon during the shootout.

    citation on file

  • John Hege

    VICTIM

    Oakland Police Department motorcycle officer, fatally shot during the traffic stop; died three days later.

    citation on file

  • Pat Gonzales

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Oakland Police Department SWAT sergeant, shot and wounded during the apartment raid but survived.

    citation on file

  • Lovelle Mixon

    CHARGED

    Wanted on a no-bail warrant for a parole violation; identified as the assailant who fatally shot four police officers before being killed by return fire at the scene; not tried due to his death.

    citation on file

Places

74th Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard, East Oakland, California

37.7658, -122.1836

View on the map

Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On March 21, 2009, Lovelle Mixon, a convicted felon wanted on a no-bail parole violation warrant, fatally shot two Oakland police motorcycle officers during a traffic stop, then fled to his sister's apartment where he fatally shot two SWAT sergeants before being killed by return fire.
Where did the shootings happen?
74th Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard, East Oakland, California.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.

Sources

  1. 2009 shootings of Oakland police officerswikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — SFGatenews · SFGate · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — The New York Timesnews · The New York Times · 2026-07-07
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