Jasper Wu killing: Alameda County DA withdraws special-circumstances allegations against defendants

OAKLAND — In a major shift on an already-contentious case, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price decided this week to withdraw special-circumstances allegations against the men accused of killing a 23-month-old toddler during a freeway shooting nearly two years ago on Interstate 880.

The decision to no longer pursue the sentencing enhancements means the two remaining defendants in the case, Ivory Bivins and Trevor Green, would no longer be eligible for life in prison without the possibility of parole, if convicted of murder in the November 2021 killing.

The move also marks a distinct reversal from Price’s predecessor, former District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, who filed the enhancements while decrying the fatal shooting of 23-month-old Jasper Wu as a “horrible tragedy” that was “unthinkable” for the Bay Area.

The decision comes nearly two weeks after a judge dismissed murder charges against a third defendant in the case. Judge Scott Patton ruled in late May that prosecutors did not have enough evidence to send Richmond resident Johnny Jackson to trial in connection with the killing.

Wu died in early November 2021 when a stray bullet from a shootout on Interstate 880 in Oakland pierced the window of the car that his mother was driving. Wu, who was just a month shy of his second birthday, was instantly killed.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.