Oakland police have announced the arrest of a person in reference to the recent killing of Tan DaGod, an aspiring rapper who was killed shortly after acting at the opening of a North Oakland cosmetics store.
Dominic Gates, 30, was arrested last week on suspicion of murder in reference to the fatal shooting of Alliauna Green, an aspiring rapper who gained hundreds of followers under the name Tan DaGod. At the time of her killing, Gates was at large although he was facing a charge of failing to register as a sex offender. He had been convicted of pimping a young girl. The charges were filed after police identified him as a suspect in a wild 2022 shooting that killed a person and a lady.
Green's death rocked the Bay Area rap scene, with well-known Oakland rapper and philanthropist Mistah FAB Artist taking to Instagram to praise her “ambition, drive and courage” and her heart that was “as big as TEXAS!!!!”
The July 13 shooting occurred around 5 p.m. after Green filmed a music video and performed on the grand opening of Glamour Beauty Supply on the corner of fortieth Street and Telegraph Avenue, celebrating the reopening of a store that closed earlier this yr after a long time of various ownership.
More than an hour after the event ended, gunfire erupted while dozens of individuals were within the parking zone. Police said Green got right into a verbal argument with some people and was shot. A friend took her to the hospital, where she later died. Another woman was injured within the shooting, but authorities weren’t immediately sure if it was a ricochet bullet or broken glass.
According to court documents, police later identified Gates as a suspect after combing through high-definition surveillance footage. He didn’t speak to investigators, and a motive for the shooting stays unclear.
At the time of the murder, Gates was already a suspect in a June 2023 shooting that left two people dead at an East Oakland gas station, but he was never charged with killing either person, based on court records.
Police identified Gates and a second person, Sir Cameron Young, as two men who drove to the gas station with 25-year-old Anteasa Collins of Stockton. In one other automobile drove up 23-year-old Idriek Patterson of Newark and 30-year-old Damarea Jones. The two groups exchanged words and started shooting at one another, after which Collins and Patterson were fatally struck by bullets, police alleged in court documents.
Jones and Young were later charged with possession of weapons utilized in the shootings, and Gates was charged with failing to register as a sex offender because he had previously been convicted of pimping a lady 16 years old or younger. In August 2023, he was denied bail despite objections from prosecutors – it was his second release from prison while facing charges within the case. His first release ended after only about two weeks when he missed a court date.
Gates reportedly denied involvement within the shooting, telling police he injured his leg and was unable to maneuver just like the person seen on surveillance footage, who investigators imagine is Gates. Police say they identified each Gates and Young since the two posted music videos together on social media.
In an impassioned letter to the court, Gates' sister pleaded with the judge in his case to avoid imposing a lengthy prison sentence, citing his “profound transformation” consequently of fatherhood and his goal of becoming a paramedic.”
“His recent fatherhood has fundamentally modified his outlook on life,” wrote Jazzy Gates, adding that the experience has given him “a brand new sense of purpose.”
“I respectfully request that you think about alternative sentencing options that might provide Dominic with redemption,” she added. “He truly wants a probability at life.”
Originally published:
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