OAKLAND — An Oakland resident was convicted of murder for killing a man during a simple marijuana transaction between his nephew and the victim, according to court records.
Redman Collins, 49, was found guilty of second-degree murder, personal use of a gun and being a felon in possession of a firearm, court records show. Collins is set to be sentenced on Oct. 16 and in the meantime remains jailed in Dublin, without bail.
Collins shot and killed 31-year-old Antwan Runnels on the morning of Oct. 12, 2022, near Lafayette Square Park in Old Oakland, jurors found. Prosecutors argued at trial that Collins and his nephew arranged to meet Runnels that day for a marijuana deal, which Runnels and the nephew had done several times before.
But Collins’ presence that day was a surprise, authorities said. Runnels angrily objected to him being there, and Collins’ nephew attempted to assure him that everything would be fine, according to authorities. A few seconds later, Runnels shoved Collins’ nephew and Collins responded by shooting Runnels, prosecutors said.
During trial, Collins argued that his nephew was the real killer, according to court records. The confrontation was captured by a passing motorist who drove from the area about 12 seconds before the fatal shot was fired, court records show.
After the shooting, Collins’ nephew was seen stealing something off of Runnels’ body and fleeing the area, while Collins ran away, authorities said. Other witnesses indicated that the shooter was a third person who entered the fight between Runnels and Collins’ nephew after the two had already started to bicker, according to court records.