Scott Eugene Merker

On September 11, 2012, Scott Eugene Merker, a 34-year-old man, was killed in Oakland, California. The incident took place in a period when Oakland was grappling with rising violent crime rates, particularly in certain neighborhoods with high concentrations of gang activity. Many of the homicides that year, including Merker's, occurred in East and West Oakland—areas with historically high rates of violent crime. Merker’s death added to the tally of 129 homicides recorded in Oakland in 2012. ...