Two 18-year-olds, Jamal Watts of Oakland and Juliese Lawson of Pacheco, have been charged with murder and attempted murder in connection with a shooting that occurred on January 21 outside a fast food restaurant in Oakland. Court records reveal that the incident resulted in the death of 28-year-old Kenyetta Chapman from Brentwood, while a 19-year-old woman managed to escape by running away and hopping over a fence, although she sustained injuries.
Watts is currently in custody at Santa Rita Jail, awaiting an arraignment scheduled for mid-April. On the other hand, Lawson remains at large and is considered a fugitive by the police.
The shooting took place at approximately 8:30 a.m. when Chapman and the young woman were asleep in a parked car outside the restaurant located on the 2400 block of East 24th Street. According to authorities, an individual approached the vehicle, knocked on the window, returned to his own car, and then opened fire on Chapman and the woman. Both victims were struck by gunfire, but the woman managed to flee and evade further harm by jumping over a fence.
Law enforcement investigations have identified Lawson as the shooter. It is alleged that he knocked on the car window, and upon returning to his vehicle, Watts handed him a shotgun.
Interestingly, nine days after the shooting, Watts was questioned by Oakland police as a person of interest in an armed robbery case. During that incident, the victim was confronted by two men who demanded valuables. One of the assailants shot the victim, but miraculously, gardening clippers in the victim’s shirt pocket blocked the bullet that would have otherwise struck him in the chest. Watts was questioned on the same night but was not arrested by the police.
Chapman’s funeral was held in February at a church in Richmond. Described as an ambitious family man, his eulogy highlighted his sweetness, intelligence, caring nature, and striking handsomeness. Chapman worked two jobs to support his family, including his two sons.
1 Response
It’s truly disheartening to hear about incidents like this. It reminds me of a similar incident that happened in my neighborhood a few years ago.
I remember it was a warm summer evening, and I had just finished dinner with my family. We decided to take a walk to our favorite ice cream shop, which was just a few blocks away. As we were walking, we noticed a commotion outside a fast food restaurant nearby.
Curiosity got the better of us, and we walked closer to