Melvin Stewart

Melvin Stewart, a 60-year-old Black man known for being giving and selfless, was a Richmond, California, resident. Known to some by the nickname "4 Shaq," he was a father of three and worked as a bread maker. His life was cut short in an act of violence in the spring of 2022.

On the evening of April 6, 2022, calls reporting gunfire sent police to the 500 block of South 12th Street. At about 7:25 p.m., arriving officers found Melvin Stewart inside a vehicle in the driver's seat. He had been shot multiple times. Firefighters and paramedics attempted life-saving measures, but Stewart was pronounced dead at the scene. His death marked the sixth homicide in the city of Richmond that year.

Richmond police detectives immediately began an investigation, following up on multiple leads. Two months later, in June 2022, their work led them to a suspect in Arkansas. Authorities there arrested Kendrick Woods and charged him with the murder of Melvin Stewart. Woods was extradited back to Contra Costa County to face the charges. He refused to speak with investigators, leaving the motive for the killing unclear.

At trial, prosecutors told the jury that Woods had taunted Stewart just before pulling the trigger. Woods’ defense argued that the police had arrested the wrong person. In February 2026, a Contra Costa County jury in Martinez convicted Kendrick Woods, then 52, of first-degree murder and an enhancement for the use of a firearm. Despite the conviction, the exact motive for the killing remained unknown.

As of February 2026, Kendrick Woods was awaiting sentencing, which was scheduled for late March 2026.