OAKLAND (CBS SF) — Nearly three weeks after rapper “The Jacka” was gunned down in East Oakland, police have not named a suspect and have not made any arrests despite being close enough to the killers to hear the gunshots that took his life.

The February 2nd homicide occurred on MacArthur Boulevard near 94th Avenue at 8:14 p.m. on a Monday night. An unidentified gunman escaped.

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“The case is actively being investigated,” said Officer Johnna Watson, Oakland Police Department Public Information Officer.

“We continue to follow up leads and encourage community assistance through tips to help solve this case. At this time we are not releasing any additional information,” she added.

Oakland Police would not respond to CBS SF’s requests about whether there were any suspects, whether witnesses were coming forward, what the motive was, and whether they were confident they would eventually make an arrest and conviction.

37-year-old Dominic Newton, who went by the stage name “The Jacka,” was found by patrol units shortly after officers heard the shot or shots. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.



The Pittsburg resident began his rap career in the late 1990s as a member of Mob Figaz, before launching a solo career in 2001. The Jacka has collaborated with a number of Bay Area hip-hop stars such as E-40 and Mistah F.A.B. His latest album, What Happened To The World, was released just two months ago.

Oakland Police failed to clear 72 percent of the city’s 2012 homicides by mid 2013, according to a KQED report. This interactive data map shows the areas where no arrests had been made in the murder. Clicking each dot will bring up the news report about the killing, and the status from February 2013, when the map was built.



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