Retired Oakland police captain shot in gas station robbery

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A retired Oakland police captain was shot Thursday in an exchange of gunfire during an apparent robbery attempt at a gas station that left one of his attackers dead.

Ersie Joyner, who once headed the city’s Ceasefire anti-violence initiative, was rushed to a hospital where he underwent surgery, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Surveillance camera footage reviewed by the Chronicle shows Joyner approached by three people as he pumped gas around 1 p.m.

Less than a minute later, Joyner pulled a handgun and fired multiple shots at his assailants at close range as they appeared to try and rob him, the footage shows.

One of the assailants fell to the ground, and Joyner, who appeared to be shot, took cover behind a pump while the two other men sped away in a dark-colored sedan, the video shows. The man who died was not immediately identified.

Addressing reporters outside Highland Hospital, Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong did not name Joyner, but confirmed that the victim was a retired police officer and that police were looking for a black sedan.

Armstrong said the wounded victim is in serious but stable condition and “fighting for his life,” the Chronicle reported.

The retired officer, was “lawfully permitted to carry a gun,” Armstrong said.

Joyner, an Oakland native, led the Ceasefire initiative through a period of expansion from 2013 until his retirement in 2019. After leaving the force, he began a new career in the cannabis industry and now owns dispensaries in Oakland and San Francisco, according to the newspaper.

Investigators to not have reason to believe Joyner was targeted for his work in law enforcement or in cannabis, Armstrong said, but noted that “at this point, we will be looking into everything.”