4 Accused In 2010 Murder Of Musician On Interstate 80
HERCULES (BCN) -- Friends and family of slain Vallejo musician Dewey Tucker said Wednesday's arraignment of four suspects in his shooting death one year ago was "bittersweet."
KCBS' Mark Seelig Reports:
Several family members expressed relief that the alleged killers had been found and that they hadn't targeted Tucker, who police said was apparently killed in a case of mistaken identity.
Tucker, 24, was on his way to church around 9:55 p.m. on Jan. 12, 2010, when he was fatally shot in his car on westbound Interstate 80 just west of Cummings Skyway near Hercules, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Trent Cross said.
One of the suspects—who are four alleged gang members from Santa Rosa—apparently mistook Tucker for a member of a rival gang, even though he was not gang-affiliated, Cross said.
"It makes life a lot easier knowing it was a case of mistaken identity," Tucker's father, Danny Tucker Sr., said. "Nobody in the music world was against him."
Tucker's mother, Shirley Tucker, said her son played bass with musicians such as Bobby Brown and Lauryn Hill.
"Dewey was a good-natured person who loved everyone and traveled the world playing music," she said, adding that the arrest brings the family some closure.
But, "It still doesn't take the pain away because it won't bring him back," she said.
Breana Whitney, of Vallejo, was engaged to Tucker at the time of his death.
"It's a very bittersweet day because my heart is still filled with sorrow," she said. "But there's also relief that the people who are responsible are off the street and won't harm anyone else."
She said, "It makes it a little easier to sleep, but there's still a hole that can't be filled by a verdict."
Cross described the shooting as "truly a horrific and tragic case of mistaken identity."
He said the suspects allegedly drove from Santa Rosa to Contra Costa County to try to kill a rival gang member in retaliation for a previous incident.
"Unfortunately, it was the wrong target," he said.
Authorities believe that 19-year-old Raul Vega was the shooter, and the other three suspects were in the same car, Cross said.
He identified the other suspects as 29-year-old Christopher Mancinas, 28-year-old Hector Barragan, and 20-year-old Javier Lopez.
He said the suspects have been booked into the Sonoma County Jail for charges of conspiracy to commit murder, murder, use of firearm that results in death, and gang-related charges and enhancements.
He said the men also face two special circumstances for allegedly committing murder for the benefit of a criminal street gang and shooting from a vehicle.
(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
