Family of Aya Nakano marks 10 years since his unsolved murder in Oakland
OAKLAND -- The family of Aya Nakano and the Oakland Police Department marked the 10-year anniversary of his murder reminding the public about this unsolved case. Nakano's mother still has hope that she will get justice for her son.
"It's been really difficult not knowing why and who did this to him," Aya's mother Maria Climaco said. "It's really hard to take it all in, absorb, digest."
Just hours before he was going to turn 23 years old, Nakano was driving home from a pick-up basketball game in Berkeley on June 12, 2013. He was passing through the area of Stanford Ave. and Market Street in Oakland when someone hit his car, according to Oakland Police.
Nakano got out of the vehicle, likely to exchange information, as did two suspects from the other car. They shot him and got back into their vehicle, a silver four-door sedan with tinted windows, and left the scene. Before the shooting, Nakano called a friend and said he was being followed as well as mentioning the collision.
"Until we find a resolution to this case, Aya is still here waiting," Climaco told KPIX while at the scene of his murder. "I feel it, every time I'm here I dream of him, but I also ask for his help to find these people, to give us little hints or clues."
She visits the intersection each year and leaves flowers at the nearby bus stop and where his body was found. In the decade since his death, she has joined other mothers to raise awareness about gun violence while never giving up hope that they will solve Nakano's case.
"We're living in a world today where gun violence has become so prevalent, it has become nearly a daily occurrence in American society," she said. "We know how difficult it is to mourn someone and be cheated of so many possibilities and potential."
Climaco still struggles with the fact that Nakano didn't have any enemies and was loved by everyone. She says the loss is indescribable and does not believe she can get closure. She does want to see more done to prevent senseless shootings like her son's murder.
"Gun violence doesn't really discriminate, it doesn't discriminate gender, race, location, it can happen to anyone and anywhere, at any time," Climaco said.
This year she happened to be at the scene about a week before the anniversary, which was also her birthday. All the gifts she received from her son in the past are painful reminders that he is no longer with her.
"It really hurts beyond words that he was not given a chance to see his full potential, it's completely unfair, it's unjust," she said. "I just want him to be here, that would have been the greatest gift. So today is really hard for me."
Ten years later, she hopes people know how much he is still missed and loved by family and friends. Climaco has kept in touch with Nakano's friends who share important milestones with her about their growing families. A lovely way to keep the connection but also difficult for her to hear at times, leaving her to wonder what Nakano's life may have been like today. While it has not gotten any easier to mourn his death, time has not stopped her from sharing his story and what she loved most about him.
"His big heart, his warm smile, and his wicked sense of humor," Climaco said. "He's everything you could ever hope for in a human being."
Anyone with information that could help investigators should contact the Oakland Police Homicide Section at (510)238-3821 or the Tip Line at (510)238-7950. OPD and CrimeStoppers are offering a reward for an arrest in this case.
