(KRON) — The third suspect in the homicide of former KRON4 security guard Kevin Nishita has been arrested, KRON4 sources confirmed. U.S. Marshals took Laron Gilbert into custody on Wednesday near Kansas City.
Nishita was shot while protecting a KRON4 reporter in Oakland in November 2021. Gilbert has been at-large since.
U.S. Marshals told KRON4 that they were informed by California investigators to investigate locations in the Kansas City area where Gilbert might be.
They had been on the lookout for about a week when Gilbert was seen in Blue Springs, Mo. at around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Jackson County Sheriff’s deputies spotted him inside a vehicle in the parking lot of a business, U.S. Marshals said.
Gilbert led deputies on a short foot pursuit before he surrendered to officials. He was not in possession of any guns, police said.
Gilbert is expected to appear in a Jackson County court.
Homicide investigators with the Oakland Police Department flew to Missouri to interview Gilbert and begin the extradition process to California, OPD said on Thursday. OPD arrested Gilbert in collaboration with the US Marshals Service and the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office has filed charges against him for his involvement in the crime, OPD said.
Two other suspects in Nishita’s killing, Shadihia Mitchell and Herschel Hale, were arrested in March 2022. Both men were charged with murder, and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price said in December that she plans to pursue those charges.
“We believe there is evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt to charge both defendants, Shadihia Mitchell and Hershel Hale, each with one count of first-degree murder,” Price said.
Mitchell and Hale both pled not guilty. Mitchell was originally the alleged gunman, but the DA’s office is no longer arguing that. Mitchell and Hale’s defense teams pointed to Gilbert as the shooter.
Nishita was on Oakland’s 14th Street with a KRON4 reporter when he was attacked by a group of men attempting to steal their camera equipment. He died in the hospital three days later. The reporter was not physically harmed.
Nishita was a Colma Police Department officer for years before becoming a security guard for Bay Area news stations. He was known for his charisma and passion for keeping people safe.
“That was in his personality. To be that protector, to be that brave one that just wanted to protect people. He has a kind heart like that and that’s why he joined the police force,” his widow Virginia previously told KRON4.
