A state parole agent was fatally shot in Oakland as he worked in his office Thursday afternoon, and a suspect is in custody.
The agent, identified as Joshua Lemont Byrd, 40, in a news release by Gov. Gavin Newsom, was shot inside the Division of Adult Parole Operations office around 12:50 p.m., state officials said.After the shooting, the suspect, identified as Bryan Keith Hall, 48, of Oakland, fled the scene and was detained by Oakland police officers near the intersection of 90th Avenue and International Boulevard, the California Highway Patrol said.
“This is a heartbreaking loss. Agent Byrd served with integrity and courage — and we’re forever grateful,” Newsom and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis said in a statement. “We are keeping his family in our prayers and we join the men and women of CDCR in mourning this tragedy.”
Byrd’s death marks the first California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officer lost in the line of duty since 2018, officials said. Byrd joined the CDCR as a cadet at the agency’s correctional officer academy in June 2014, officials said. He joined the Oakland adult parole office as a parole agent in October 2024, after stints as a correctional officer and correctional sergeant, officials said…