Bio 

Lovelle Shawn Mixon was born on September 11, 1982. He lived in Oakland, California, and worked only sporadically, including reported work as a plumber and custodian. At the time of the shootings, he was 26 years old. He was arrested multiple times from about age 13 and later became a convicted felon. In 2002, he was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon connected to an armed robbery in San Francisco and served time in state prison.

After release, Mixon continued to move in and out of custody. He was released on parole, but by March 2009 he was wanted on a no-bail warrant for violating parole. Family members later said he knew he was wanted and did not want to return to prison.

Before the police shootings, Mixon was also linked by DNA to sexual assault investigations. Oakland police learned shortly before the shootings that DNA evidence connected him to the February 2009 rape of a 12-year-old girl. Later lab results also linked him to the robbery and rape of two young women on the morning of March 21, 2009, hours before the officers were killed.

Murder Story

On March 21, 2009, Lovelle Mixon was driving a burgundy 1995 Buick sedan in East Oakland. At about 1:08 p.m., Oakland Motorcycle Sergeant Mark Dunakin and Motorcycle Officer John Hege stopped the car near the 7400 block of MacArthur Boulevard.

During the stop, Sergeant Dunakin became suspicious that Mixon’s driver’s license was fake. As the officers moved to arrest him, Mixon got out of the car and opened fire with a semiautomatic handgun. Both officers were shot before they could return fire.

After the officers fell, Mixon approached and shot them again at close range. Sergeant Dunakin died at the scene. Officer Hege was critically wounded and later declared brain dead. His organs were donated, and he died from his injuries on March 24, 2009.

Mixon fled the area on foot. Police launched a major manhunt involving Oakland police and several other law enforcement agencies. Investigators received information that Mixon may have gone to his sister’s apartment on 74th Avenue, near the first shooting scene.

About two hours after the first shooting, a SWAT team entered the apartment to search for Mixon. He was hiding inside and had obtained an SKS-style rifle. As officers entered, Mixon fired on them from inside the apartment. Sergeant Ervin Romans was killed, and Sergeant Pat Gonzales was wounded.

During the gunfight, Sergeant Daniel Sakai was also fatally shot. Other officers returned fire and killed Mixon inside the apartment. The confrontation ended with Mixon dead and four Oakland police officers fatally wounded.

The shootings were described as one of the worst days for law enforcement in California history. It was the deadliest attack on California police officers since the 1970 Newhall massacre.

After the killings, state and local officials held public memorials for the fallen officers. A funeral at Oakland’s Oracle Arena was attended by thousands of officers, officials, and community members. Later reports also confirmed that Mixon had been linked to serious sexual assault cases before and on the same day as the shootings.