New College Grad Shot to Death in North Oakland After Auto Accident

By Bay City News Service

An Emeryville man was fatally shot in North Oakland late Wednesday, an hour before his 23rd birthday, after getting into a confrontation with two suspects who had rear-ended his car, police said today.

The victim was identified as Aya Nakano.

Oakland police spokeswoman Johnna Watson said Nakano had recently graduated from a college in Oregon and was driving back to his Emeryville home after playing basketball with friends at a UC Berkeley gym when the collision occurred at about 11 p.m.

He was driving west on Stanford Avenue near Market Street when he was rear-ended by the suspects' car, Watson said.

The victim then "did the right thing" and turned left onto southbound Market Street then pulled over at a bus stop in the 5800 block of Market, near ASA Liquors, Watson said.

He was then confronted by the two male suspects, and one of them shot him, Watson said. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police don't believe that the victim, who would have turned 23 today, knew the suspects prior to the collision, she said.

The suspects' vehicle is described as a newer-model four-door silver sedan, according to Watson.

Police have not released a description of the suspects.       

Oakland police are asking anyone with information on the incident to contact investigators at (510) 238-3821. There is a reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to an arrest in the case.

A Facebook page that appears to belong to the same Aya Nakano identifies him as a former San Francisco resident who attended Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in San Francisco and later the University of Oregon.

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