Since its inception , 53 Oakland Police Officers have been killed in the line of duty , the majority by gunfire . The first officer killed in the line of duty was Richard B. Richardson , shot to death by an armed fugitive on October 23 , 1867 . The most recent officer killed was Paul Carlisle , who died on December 1 , 2015 from gunshot wounds sustained in an earlier gun battle . The March 21 , 2009 shootings of four Oakland police officers by a wanted rapist and parole violator marked the deadliest day for California law enforcement since the " Newhall Incident " in 1970 . The first two officers killed had pulled over the suspect for a routine traffic violation , unaware that the suspect was armed and wanted . The suspect drew a handgun and shot Sgt. Mark Dunakin and Officer John Hege before they could react , killing them on the spot . The suspect fled to a nearby apartment where he armed himself with an assault rifle and ambushed an Oakland Police SWAT team as they attempted to arrest him , killing sergeants Erv Romans and Danial Sakai before he himself was shot to death by other officers . This was also the deadliest attack on U.S. law enforcement since the September 11 attacks . until the 2015 shooting of Dallas police officers , when five officers were killed
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Oakland Police Department