[http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/02/13/18671908.php]
On January 16, 2010, Kerry Baxter Junior, a nineteen year old African American male, was killed. He died in front of Saint Anthony Church in East Oakland after being shot through the heart. This is not the first killing in the area, which is near San Antonio Park. The Oakland Police Department seem uninterested in finding the perpetrators of this crime...,
My world changed forever, on January 16, 2011, when I was informed that my oldest grandson was killed. It was all over the news, about a young man being killed in front of a Church in Oakland California. It was not until his mother called me around 3:30 am, that I learned he was the one killed at the church. The next few days are a blur as we gathered together, and planned for his funeral. It is not until now that I am focusing on who killed him and why. Kerry Junior was 19 years old, handsome and a wonderful human being. As I looked back on his nineteen years it hit me, how fast the time had passed. Kerry was about six months old when he walked, and had an incredible memory for detail. He and I were inseparable until he became a teenager. Although I did not see him as often we spoke quite often and I always told him I loved him. I also warned him about being so good matured and trusting of others. He was embarking on a career in rap music and his lyrics were not portraying the person I knew.
That night Kerry was supposed to go to Union City with his friend John. According to John, a friend of Kerry's, his girlfriend pressured him to go to San Antonio Park with her and another young lady. Kerry was living with his mother and left the house accompanied by the two females. They were there and witnessed him being chased and killed, yet they were not harmed. The police have questioned them over and over again, and they are still free. I do not understand why the Oakland Police do not at least, have these females in Protective custody, as they witnessed my grandson being killed.
Sargent Philips, who is supposed to be over the investigation does not answer my calls. When ever we call there is a duty officer who is not interested in new information, and does not give out information. He told me that when they make an arrest only the mother will be contacted. I am the paternal grandmother and believe that I should know when an arrest is made, and where the investigation is going. There is no description of the two assislants (who Kerry's girlfriend described as African American), nor a theory of why Kerry was killed. The Police have not questioned my grandsons friend who saw him that night. His friend was upset that the so-called girlfriend was so insistent on my grandson going to San Antonio Park. Kerry did not know the danger that awaited and had no weapon on him. He was simply going to San Antonio with his girlfriend, who we found out was a runaway, living on the streets. He was in an area he should not have been in with nothing to protect him, and with two unsavory females.
We spoke to the Pastor of St. Anthony Church where Kerry died, and he told us how he was chased by the two gunmen from San Antonio Park. Although my grandsons girlfriend said that she held him while he died, Father Ruiz did not mention her, only my grandson. They chased him down and shot him through the heart, but did not shoot at or harm the two females. Father Ruiz also said that there were similar killings in and around the church and the Park. That means that the the men who killed my grandson may have done it before and more than likely will do it again. In the area where Kerry Junior was killed, there are schools, a Park and several churches. Kerry and his friends often went to San Antonio Park to play Basketball. Did the killers of my Grandson know him?
How difficult is it for the Police to find these types of individuals? They are like animals who have a territory where they hang out. Their behavior would single them out from the average person, and someone knows who they are. If anyone has information on who murdered Kerry Baxter Junior, please call (510) 238-6446. There is also an anonymous tip line, Bay Area Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222-TIPS or 1-800-222-8477.
2011-01-18 "Teenager shot to death outside Oakland church" by Henry K. Lee from "San Francisco Chronicle"
[http://articles.sfgate.com/2011-01-18/bay-area/27036319_1_apparent-robbery-teenager-shot-san-antonio-neighborhood]
A 19-year-old man was shot and killed outside a church in Oakland, police said Monday.
Kerry Baxter Jr. of Oakland was shot outside St. Anthony's Church near the corner of East 15th Street and 16th Avenue, in the city's San Antonio neighborhood, about 10:10 p.m. Sunday, police said.
Baxter's grandmother, Anita Wills, 64, of San Leandro, said her grandson had been with his girlfriend when he was shot during an apparent robbery. The girlfriend wasn't hurt, Wills said.
Baxter graduated in 2008 from Boys Republic High School in Chino Hills (San Bernardino County), she said.
"We are devastated by the loss of Kerry, who held so much promise," Wills said. "I will miss my grandson's smile and sense of humor most of all."
Baxter was pronounced dead at the scene, said Officer Holly Joshi, a police spokeswoman. No arrests have been made.
Kerry Baxter Jr. was shot outside a church on Sunday night.
Credit: Courtesy of Anita Wills
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