Slain parole agent honored in procession Oakland to Sacramento; new details emerge in shooting
A solemn procession was held Friday afternoon as law enforcement officials escorted the body of state parole agent Joshua Byrd from Oakland to Sacramento. Meanwhile, new information on his fatal shooting and the suspect has come to light.
Byrd was shot and killed at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation parole offices in East Oakland on Thursday. Friday's procession began at the Alameda County Coroner's Bureau in Oakland and ended at a Sacramento funeral home near the home where Byrd lived with his wife and three children.
Oakland firefighters joined local law enforcement agencies in saluting Byrd's procession from overpasses as it traveled on Interstate Highway 580.
Byrd spent 11 years with the CDCR, most of that time as a correctional officer. Last year, he transferred to become a parole agent, working with the Oakland parole unit.
During Friday's graduation ceremony for new correctional officers in Galt, a moment of silence was held in Byrd's honor.
"Rest in peace, Joshua Byrd. I was a sergeant when he came through as a cadet over 10 years ago," said Capt. Ricardo Jauregui. "So, I know I have a lot of staff here who are hurting. And it's a constant reminder of how dangerous our profession is."
Law enforcement sources told CBS News Bay Area the suspect, 46-year-old Bryan Keith Hall of Oakland, walked into the Oakland parole office building with a gun. There are no metal detectors at the front entrance.
A security guard working in a neighboring building told a reporter he heard two gunshots. After Hall allegedly shot and killed Byrd, he crossed the street and got on an AC Transit bus, law enforcement sources said. Hall allegedly threatened the driver and ordered him to drive away.
The sources said he later got off somewhere in East Oakland and allegedly stole a car, which was found abandoned near 79th Avenue and International Boulevard.
Hall eventually walked to a bus stop at 90th and International, where police arrested him. A handgun that police say was used in the shooting was found in a trash can near that car.
Hall has a lengthy criminal history in Alameda County that dates back to June 1996. Over the past 29 years, he's been charged with robbery, assault, drug sales, auto theft, evading police, and attempted murder.
Before Thursday's shooting, his most serious case involved stabbing a man in Oakland's Lakeshore District in 2022. Officials say he randomly stabbed the victim in the neck. That man survived, and Hall later pleaded no contest to assault with a deadly weapon as part of a plea deal.
He served more than two years in jail and was released on parole in February. It's still unclear if Byrd was Hall's parole officer or what motivated the shooting.
The Oakland CDCR parole office was closed on Friday. CBS News Bay Area asked CDCR and the union that represents parole agents whether security measures will be changed, but no response was received as of Friday afternoon.
Governor Gavin Newsom ordered that flags at the State Capitol be flown at half-staff in Byrd's honor. Newsom and Acting Governor Eleni Kounalakis mourning the "heartbreaking loss" and praised Byrd for serving "with integrity and courage".
On a GoFundMe page, friends and colleagues described the 40-year-old Navy veteran as a "great guy" and "very dependable." The online fundraiser had raised 90% of its $75,000 goal as of Friday afternoon.
Byrd's death was the CDCR's first line-of-duty death since 2018.
