A state parole agent who was shot and killed in Oakland on Thursday has been identified after a suspect was arrested following an intense manhunt, authorities said.
The shooting happened at about 12:48 p.m. at a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation building at the corner of Edgewater Drive and Pardee Lane in East Oakland, just across Interstate Highway 880 from the Oakland Coliseum.
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A law enforcement source told CBS News Bay Area that the parole agent was taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland but did not survive. The CDCR had no immediate statement on the shooting, and the Oakland Police Department referred questions about the shooting to the California Highway Patrol, which is the primary agency investigating the incident.
Police said the suspect was arrested in the area of 90th Avenue and International Boulevard, where a large contingent of police officers was seen. No information about the suspect or the motive for the shooting was immediately available.
Earlier, police and SWAT officers were in what looked to be an apparent standoff situation outside a building on Bancroft Avenue between 66th Avenue and Havenscourt Boulevard. Police began clearing that area at around 3 p.m., and there was no indication of anyone being arrested or otherwise contacted.
The CDCR identified the parole agent as Joshua Lemont Byrd.
Byrd, 40, was shot inside the Division of Adult Parole Operations (DAPO) office in Oakland, officials said.
Law enforcement officials in Alameda County held a procession Thursday night to honor Byrd. A casket draped with an American flag was carried out of Highland Hospital into a coroner’s van. The van was followed by roughly 100 unmarked corrections department vehicles.
Byrd joined the CDCR as a cadet in June 2014. After serving as a correctional officer and correctional sergeant, he joined the DAPO office in Oakland as a parole agent in October 2024.
“Our hearts are heavy as we remember Parole Agent Joshua Byrd, whose bravery and dedication led to his tragic death in the line of duty. We extend our deepest condolences to the law enforcement community, as well as to Agent Byrd’s family and friends,” said CDCR Secretary Jeff Macomber.
Byrd leaves behind a wife and three children.