OAKLAND — The suspect in a recent Oakland homicide was out on bail at the time of the shooting, awaiting trial in a Solano County case alleging he rammed a Vallejo police officer who then shot him in the face, court records show.
Jamazea Kittell, 31, was charged Wednesday with murdering 23-year-old Kalief Perez-Chambers on July 9, in a shooting on the 9400 block of C Street in Oakland. After the shooting, Kittell allegedly went south, getting as far as the San Bernardino County town of Apple Valley before police tracked him down and arrested him.
Kittell is being held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin without bail. He faces charges of killing Perez-Chambers, shooting an unoccupied car and possessing guns and ammunition as a felon. Kittell was set to go on trial in September on charges that he rammed Vallejo police Officer Brad Kim, who then shot Kittell in the face during the June 27, 2023 incident.
The Solano County case proved controversial. While the Vallejo Police Department has faced a litany of scandals in recent years — including testimony from within their own ranks that officers celebrated on-duty shootings by bending their badges as a ceremonial reward — the prosecution also failed to convince Judge Robert Bowers that Kittell had attempted to murder Kim. The judge found that Kittell more likely committed assault during the alleged ramming, noting that prosecutors must prove intent in attempted murder cases.
In Perez-Chambers’ death, police say the young man — who registered an auto sales company in Oakland three years ago — and a friend were working on a car in the residential area when Kittell pulled up in an Acura, opened fire, then fled. Police were able to identify him through the Acura, which he recently had taken to a service station and given employees his real name, according to court records.
Investigators say they also identified Kittell from media reports on the Kim shooting, which include photographs of Kittell in a wheelchair still recovering from his injuries. These photos were matched to surveillance footage from the homicide, authorities said.
Police haven’t released the suspected motive. The man who was with Perez-Chambers during the shooting escaped injury, but police say he was physically underneath the car and only heard the shots.
Kittell has two robbery convictions in Alameda County, and a gun possession conviction in Contra Costa, which make it illegal for him to have firearms, authorities said.