Oakland police seek public’s help in identifying 2021 homicide suspects

OAKLAND – Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying two individuals wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of prominent education-equality advocate Dirk Tillotson during a home-invasion robbery four years ago in East Oakland.

On Wednesday, the Oakland Police Department released photos and descriptions of the male suspects.

The first suspect is described as 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet tall with a thin build. Police said he was last seen wearing a gray or light-colored hooded sweatshirt, gray or light-colored pants and light-colored shoes.

The second suspect is described as 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet tall with a medium build. He was last seen wearing a gray or light-colored hooded sweatshirt, black or dark-colored pants with stripes and white shoes with black trim, according to police.

The home-invasion robbery happened around 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 1, 2021, in the 2600 block of Monticello Avenue. Police said Tillotson, 52, was fatally shot when he confronted the suspects. The suspects also shot Tillotson’s wife, Amina, but she survived.

Tillotson’s work as an education-equality advocate took him all over the globe. He helped reform schools in Qatar, worked on educational equity issues in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and expanded translation services for students in Oakland.

In his Great School Voices blog, he wrote, “I have been called the patron saint of lost causes, the guy who will help do things when others won’t or think it’s too risky.”

Anyone who recognizes the suspects or has information related to the case can contact the OPD Criminal Investigations Division at 510-238-3821 or the tip line at 510-238-7950.

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