Eric Chavis-Reshard Jr., aged 32, was tragically shot and killed on March 3, 2020, in East Oakland, California. The incident occurred around 5 p.m. on the 1800 block of 88th Avenue. Surveillance footage captured a green Pontiac leaving the scene shortly after the shooting. This footage played a crucial role in the investigation, leading authorities to identify and arrest Melvin Hines III, a 26-year-old Oakland resident at the time.
Hines was charged with the murder of Eric Chavis-Reshard
Jr. and the attempted murder of another man who was wounded in the same incident. The investigation revealed that the same firearm used in the shooting of Chavis-Reshard was also linked to another shooting that occurred three hours later, injuring a 9-year-old boy. However, Hines was not charged in connection with the second shooting.
During the investigation, Hines' girlfriend, who owned the green Pontiac seen in the surveillance footage, was also arrested. She informed the police that Hines had driven her car on the day of the shooting. Despite Hines' denial of involvement and his claim that he was not driving the Pontiac that night, the evidence, including matching shell casings found at both shooting scenes and in Hines' home, was substantial.
In November 2020, Hines was formally charged with murder and attempted murder. He initially pleaded not guilty and remained in Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on a no-bail hold. His case progressed through the legal system, and in July 2023, Hines accepted a plea deal. He pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter, resulting in the murder and attempted murder charges being dropped. Consequently, Hines was sentenced to 19 years in state prison. As part of the plea agreement, he was also ordered to pay $7,343.08 in victim restitution and received credit for the nearly three years he had already spent in custody awaiting the resolution of his case.
