SAN LEANDRO — A man who allegedly laughed before firing a fatal gunshot has been charged with murder and other crimes in the July 17 slaying of a woman as she was walking her dogs with her boyfriend, according to court documents and authorities.
The suspect also allegedly asked the couple if they were gang members before the shooting, the documents say.
The suspect, Rohith Sunil, 21, of San Jose, was charged Monday with murder, assault with a semi-automatic firearm and carrying a loaded firearm in public. He was being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail and was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday morning.
Court documents identified the victim as Casey Lyn Way. Police said the suspect did not know her or her boyfriend.
According to the documents, Way and her boyfriend, whose name was not released, were walking their two dogs about 11:11 p.m. July 17 in the area of East 14th and Williams streets when a Mercedes pulled up and a man later identified as Sunil, who was wearing a black ski mask and dark clothing, got out.
According to the documents he asked them if he was in Oakland and then asked for directions on how to get to San Jose, which Way tried to get him on her phone. After noticing Way was wearing a red bandana, he asked if she was in a gang, which both she and her boyfriend denied, the documents say.
The documents say Sunil then pulled a black pistol and pointed it at the couple. As they backed away Sunil allegedly laughed before firing one shot that hit Way in the torso before getting back into his vehicle and speeding away, the documents say. A 9mm live round and shell casing were found at the scene.
Way died later at a hospital. Her boyfriend and their dogs were not injured.
According to the documents, Sunil then drove to Dublin where a man called police to report his vehicle was being followed by a Mercedes. Police told him to drive to police headquarters, which he did, with Sunil still following him.
Police confronted Sunil, still dressed in all black, in his car at the station and a 9mm pistol fell out of his waistband, the documents say. The gun turned out to have been stolen in Berkeley. A black ski mask was also found in the vehicle.
When San Leandro police heard of the arrest and the similarities in the description of the car and the suspect and the recovered gun to their shooting, they were able to develop more evidence that led to him being arrested in the killing of Way.
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