A 37-year-old Oakland man is facing murder charges after prosecutors say he gunned down the longtime suspect in his brother’s unsolved 2022 killing, despite a relative’s attempt to talk him out of it. Ramon Watkins is accused of fatally shooting 26-year-old Jimmy Mullins on February 11 inside Mr. Phone Repair on International Boulevard, where Mullins sat on a couch next to his girlfriend when a gunman opened fire.
The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office determined on Tuesday that it had enough evidence to charge Watkins with murder, gun possession by a felon, and two counts of dissuading a witness, according to The Mercury News. Watkins has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. He is due back in court on August 20 for a preliminary hearing, when a judge will determine whether there is enough evidence for the charges to stand.
Police say the shooting was retaliation for the July 22, 2022 killing of Watkins’ brother, 33-year-old Jamal Watkins, a security guard and father of four who was shot while driving near 82nd Avenue and E Street, causing his Hyundai to crash on the 8200 block of E Street, according to CBS News. Surveillance footage reportedly showed a man firing repeatedly into Jamal Watkins’ car, and a second person engaged in a shootout with the shooter, per the Mercury News report. Investigators identified Jimmy Mullins as a longtime suspect in that killing, though court records show he was never charged in Jamal Watkins’ death and refused to discuss the shooting when questioned.
A Brother’s Grief, Years Without Answers
Jamal Watkins’ mother, Tina Harris, publicly appealed for answers in October 2022, telling KTVU FOX 2 that her son was her only child and had been visiting family in Oakland when he became the city’s 65th homicide victim that year. Oakland would go on to surpass 100 homicides before 2022 ended. Police have said Mullins allegedly admitted involvement in Jamal Watkins’ killing while in custody, and a relative of Jamal Watkins told investigators that Mullins had bragged about the murder…