Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California • 3

ryt iJ OAXLUVD TRIBUNE (v Tuesday, November 10, 1992 tyle shootin movie-s gcase Cops finally solve ByCscilyBurt Thiem said Shannon and' another arrested the youth last Thursday for a traffic of fense. The youth, who was being held at Juvenile. Hall, was brought in for questioning over the weekend and admitted to Thiem and Sgt Dave Kozicki what happened back in July. Thiem said although the final decision rests with the District Attorney, the youth probably wontrbeicharged in the shooting because It appears to be self defense. The gun has been recovered and the car, which has since been sold, is expected, to be returned in a couple of Thiem said he expects physical evidence in the car to corroborate the delivery man's account of the events.

His name has been withheld, because of his age. That, said Thiem, was when the footwork really began. "We went to every pizza delivery place In Oakland." be said. "It wasn't really so difficult (to find the right one) because not all of them deliver to all parts of Oakland." They finally located the restaurant where the delivery person worked. But the manager said the 17-year-old whom he only knew under the alias had quit after the incident Thiem said it took about a month of computer digging before he was able to match up the alias with other information and get the employee's real name and a copy of his booking photo.

After Thiem distributed the photo he got a call from -a patrol officer who had and shdthilindly toward the passenger compartment The car crashed Into a metal fence surrounding Arroyo Vie Jo Park, and the employee popped open the trunk and got out Although Shannon was shot in the tower back, be and the pizza man struggled, Thiem said, and the gun went off two more times, striking Shannon again. As Shannon staggered off, the pizza man got in his car and drove back to work. He told his boss he was robbed, but nothing else. Then be quit At the start of the investigation, police heard rumors that a group of people, including Shannon, bad robbed a pizza delivery man the same night as the shooting, Thiem said Oakland police yesterday said lock played a major role In tracking down a Eizza delivery person who shot and Hied a robber in self defense last summer. And with the pizza man's statement, the July killing of Damion Shannon appears to be a case of Justifiable homicide, investigators said.

Shannon, who was found with multiple gunshot wounds near the intersection of 81st Avenue and Plymouth Street the night of July 15, died the next day. Homicide Sgt. Brian Thiem said be had to unweave a convoluted tale of false identity, kidnapping, robbery and attempted murder to build clues In the man robbed and kidnapped the 17-year-old delivery boy at gunpoint, stuffing him inside the trunk of his own car and I driving off with him. What Initially hampered the investigation, Thiem said, was that the kidnap victim was an escapee from an Alameda County Juvenile facility, who was working at the pizza parlor under an -alias. From Inside the trunk, the employee overhead the kidnappers say they were going to kill him, Thiem said.

Unbeknownst to his abductors, the employee had secreted a Ml magnum revolver in the trunk for protection, Thiem said. The youth grabbed the gun No Known Motive EBMUD warns against tapping into delta water By Kalhtaan MeKanna Reservoir to serve its 1.1 million East Bay customers. Water not diverted into pipelines at Pardee is either stored in EBMUD's Ca-manche Reservoir or released downstream for fish resources and to meet irrigation needs. Environmentalists have long complained that the fish popu-, lalion has declined dramatically since EBMUD began diverting, water from the Mokelumne in 1929. State wildlife officials and environmentalists are asking the board to order EBMUD to take less water from the Mokelumne, allowing more water to flow downstream to benefit fish.

EBMUD could then tap into the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Del-ta to meet its customers' needs. EBMUD complained that the delta water is poorer quality and purifying it will mean costlier water for customers. See WATER, Page A-4 SACRAMENTO Environmentalists and state and federal fish and wildlife officials argued yesterday that EBMUD should be forced to supplement its pristine Sierra water supply with lesser quality water to ensure the ecological, health of the Mokelumne River. The first' day of an expected seven-day hearing by the state Water Resources Control Board kicked off yesterday with lengthy testimony and cross-examination of state fish and life The hearings were called to act on a recommendation of the state Fish and Game Department that EBMUD be forced to increase the amount of water that it releases to the lower Mo-kelumne River to protect fish and wildlife. EBMUD diverts water from up high' on the river at Pardee Pants color may have led to killing of boy By Thaal Walker By Too DmcaaOtiUad Tribn Cafeteria manager Gloria Davis picks ap yards of alamjaam foil tossed around by the intruders.

Oakland school ravaged by end mda1shmMMm weei injuries after being hit by a pickup truck at about 9:30 p.m. Friday. According to witnesses, White, who had just attended a football game between Hayward 'and. Tennyson high schools at Sunset Field, was crossing A Street near Flagg when he was pushed off the center divider. White died almost instantly.

Although an 18-year-old was identified as the alleged assailant by witnesses at the scene, police yesterday had not arrested anybody in connection with the boy's death. Collins said the police also haven't "substantiated 100 percent that the victim was pushed" on purpose, although he did say the case was being treated as a "We haven't unequivocally determined that, he was Intentionally pushed and that is certainly a major focus of investiga- tion," Collins said. Collins, who estimated there ByDavUHU FrtftlMft Man 'ANDALS HIT Oakland's AW Frlck Junior High School during a destructive weekend attack that left behind mashed eomouter moni HAYWARD Family and friends of the boy who was pushed into the path of an oncoming truck held a tearful candlelight yigil last night at the same intersection where he was killed. The group stood on the median of A and Flagg streets where 15-year-old Brian White was pushed to his death Friday night-Police are looking into the possibility that the color of the boy's pants was the reason he died. Family members have said they believe White was pushed by alleged gang members because he was wearing blue clothing a color associated with a particular gang.

But Sgt Mark Collins said that although it is a possibility, "it is premature for the police department to call this a gang-related incident." "It's too early at this point to say this is gang-motivated because, someone wore a certain type of pants," Collins said. "We want to deal with the facts, not the perceptions." White, a Hayward High School sophomore, died of massive head San Francisco security firm, said Oakland police Lt Ron Herron, chief of the Oakland public schools' police force. However the alarm was never activated and there was no sign of the sys-tern being disconnected, Herron said. Although police are scheduled to regularly patrol the school neighborhood during weekends and off-hours, officers do not inspect campus grounds. "It (the alarm) wasn't tripped.

That's something we're going to have to find out (about)," Herron said. Twelve computers In one classroom and five more in the administrative offices were all damaged, Taylor said. Invaders also made their way into the school's cafeteria, kitchen and multipurpose roam. Using a fire hose, the vandals flooded the multi-purpose room with more than an inch of water at some points and also dumped milk on the floor. Kitchen floors were covered with raw rice, frozen ranch fries, taco shells, yards of aluminum foil and packages of unopened cheese puffs.

The school district provided sack lunches for students yesterday but hot meals will not be See VANDALS, Page A-4 tors, scattered food and flooded floors, authorities said yesterday. Marking a clear trail of demolition, intruders broke into the campus cafeteria and main wing, which contains classrooms, the school library and administrative offices. Police and school officials said the vandalism likely happened between Friday night and yesterday morning. Officials yesterday did not make an exact dollar-loss estimate but they speculated it could run into the tens of thousands of dollars. may have, been as many as 12 Principal Marpfcy Taylor 'Wont case JVe ever seen' "This is the worst case (of vandalism) I've ever seen." said Principal Murphy Taylor, head of the 643-student campus that serves seventh through ninth grade students in East Oakland.

During weekends and off-hours, the school is guarded by a motion-activated alarm system, connected to a private witnesses, said the in-. vestigation involves identifying and locating some of those pee- pi- Anyone with information is. encouraged to call Hayward po-. lice at 293-7000. Club Eli's Mile High Troyce Key dies owner By Larry Kakj 31 I I m.

iS-P Within two years be not only ran, but owned Eli's. Mr. Key and his wife, Margaret met at the club, and be proposed to her there. As the blues and Eli's became Increasingly popular in the '80s, Mr. Key resisted the temptation to expand from Its homey digs that comfortably fit only 129 blues lovers.

Born Sept 7, 1937, in Newellton, Mr. Key grew up in Fresno, where he was playing guitar and performing professionally as a teenager. He recorded three singles for Warner Bros. Records in the late '50s, appearing on television on he Alan Freed Show and Dick Clark's American Bandstand. -Jr.

In 1961 be became the first white member of the Rhythm Rockers, in an association that continued of and on until his death. Mr. Key, likewise, was well-known outside the United States, having toured Europe in the '80s with fellow stars of the San Francisco Blues Festi val. Active in the local community, Mr. Key was a board member of the Oakland Festival of the Arts and performed for students in the Blues In the Schools program.

The family requests that contributions in Mr. Key's name be mailed to the Troyce Key Bluea Scholarship Fund. 1155 Sunnyhills Road, Oakland, 94610. He is survived by his wife and business partner, Margaret Key; his parents, Henry Verdell Key and Lula Faye Key of Fresno and grandmother Minnie Hickmana of Fresno. He also leaves brothers Kenneth Key and David Key of Fresno, son Younger Key of Richmond, daughter Troylynn Key of Fresno, three grandchildren and numerous other relatives.

Ell's will be closed tomorrow and Thursday, and reopen Friday. Margaret Key plans to continue to run the A mainstay of the Oakland blueyi scene, bandleader and night club owner Troyce Key died yesterday. Mr. Key, 55; was the owner of one of the Bay Area's hottest blues spots, Ell's Mile High Club. After a yearlong battle with leukemia.

Mr. Key died quietly at his home, next door to the club. FuneraL.aerKlcea,wlll be held Thursday at 1 p.m atFoucbe's Hudson Funeral Home, 3665 Telegraph Oakland. 1 Last May, before a benefit concert held In his name, Mr. Key said his West Oakland club made his dreams come true.

1 "You know what la Important to me? My dreams came true in this club. When I was 16 years old my idols were Percy Mayfield and Lowell Ful-soo. And now, to have bad them come to my club and play, and stay in my bouse. That's what means something to me," he told the many who came to honor him. The benefit raised money to establish the Troyce Key Blues Scholarship Fund to help local music Among the entertainers who have Visited Ell's In recent years Include James Brown, Wboopt Goldberg (who performed there In the early days of her comedy career), Ted Danson, Chuck Berry and Will Smith Fresh Prince of But it was Mr.

Key and his Big Blues Band that held down the regular entertainer's Job most weekends at the club over the past 12 years, with local and traveling musicians Joining in or leading the band. When original owner, EU Thornton, was killed In 1979, Mr. Key called fellow Rhythm Rocker J. Malone; Mying. "Why don't we try and get that club to make sure disco doesn't take it over like it's done at other clubs." Troyce Key met Us wife, Margaret, at the ctafcv.