SAN LEANDRO, Calif. (KGO) — It is chilling crime that has unnerved an East Bay community with surveillance video capturing the moments before a woman was killed.
New details surfaced on Tuesday about a woman gunned down while walking her dogs in San Leandro last week.
The suspect, Rohith Sunil, 21, of San Jose, went before a judge in Dublin and officially charged with murder.
According to the Alameda County DA’s office, the victim has been identified as 41-year-old Casey Way.
The shooting happened July 17 while she was out on a walk with her boyfriend and dogs.
Surveillance video showed the couple holding hands and walking their two dogs in San Leandro on East 14th street.
RELATED: Video shows moments before San Leandro woman shot, killed while walking dogs with boyfriend
A 21-year-old suspect has been arrested for shooting and killing a woman who was walking her two dogs with her boyfriend.
Following the shooting, the suspect took off in his car. The woman’s boyfriend and dogs weren’t hurt.
Dublin police arrested the Sunil a short while later on an unrelated charge.
Investigators later linked him to the San Leandro murder.
Police have not released any possible motives for the killing.
Court documents reveal what led up to fatal shooting
Court documents reveal some surprising details about the shooting.
According to court documents, Way and her boyfriend were walking to a liquor store when a black Mercedes pulled up and parked by them. According to the witness in the documents, the suspect was:
“…wearing a black ski mask and all black clothing, with a tattoo under one of his eyes, got out and confronted them.”
INTERACTIVE: Take a look at the ABC7 Neighborhood Safety Tracker
The suspect asked Way and her boyfriend asked for directions to San Jose. As Way started looking up directions on her phone, the documents say:
“The suspect noticed she was wearing a red bandana and began to ask her if she was in a gang, which the victim and witness denied.”
The suspect then pulled out a pistol and pointed it at the couple. According to court documents:
“…the witness stated the suspect laughed…”
The documents indicated that the suspect “racked the pistol slide, ejecting a live round onto the ground. Sunil shot Way once in the right side of her body and then sped off in the Mercedes.
“Left behind at the scene was a 9mm casing and a 9mm live round that the suspect had ejected from his firearm.”
Police say when Sunil was later arrested in San Jose. According to documents, a man called authorities to report he was being followed around in his vehicle by a dark Mercedes. Police responded and contacted the driver. Documents indicate that a 9mm semiautomatic firearm fell out of his waistband. He also had items in his car linking him to the homicide.
MORE: Man shot, killed while walking his dog in San Leandro, police say
Dublin police officers “were not aware of San Leandro PD homicide investigation at the time and arrested Sunil for firearm related offenses,” according to documents.
Sunil has been charged with murder, assault with a semi-automatic firearm and carrying a loaded firearm in public. He could face up to 50 years to life in prison if he’s convicted.
He’s being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail.
Sunil will be back in court next week.
According to court documents, the shooting was a random act. The witness stated the victim and him did not know the suspect.
Copyright © 2025 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.