Oakland jewelry store owner believed suspects were customers before gunfight

Formal charges filed in Oakland cash-for-gold store shootout

Prosecutors in Alameda County have filed formal charges in last week?s deadly shootout at an East Oakland cash-for-gold store. 26-year-old Deshawn Tyson and 28-year-old Charles Gaston III are accused of attempted robbery and murdering two of their own associates, who were killed in crossfire with the shop owner. The shootout happened at Eddy Cash 4 Gold near 71st and International.

OAKLAND, Calif. - The owner of an Oakland jewelry shop thought alleged robbers were customers trying to sell gold before a wild shootout left two suspects dead, according to court records.

Owner thought suspects were trying to make a sale

What we know:

The confrontation unfolded Sept. 10 around 7:45 p.m. at Eddy Cash 4 Gold, 7114 International Blvd., when five people arrived to make a sale, the owner told authorities. According to Yelp, the business closes at 7:30 p.m.

Court documents say the owner unlocked the door and was overwhelmed by the armed suspects, and attacked. The owner's cousin was also attacked.

Attack sparks gunfight

Dig deeper:

That's when the owner opened fire, retreated into his office, and a chaotic shootout followed. When it was over, two suspects were shot dead.

Dennis Oyewole, 25, died at the scene. Devinelle Broussard, 20, died at Highland Hospital.

A 16-year-old suspect—who turns 17 on Saturday—was shot and wounded, as was the shop owner.

The owner has not been charged.

Surviving suspects

What's next:

The two remaining suspects, Deshawn Tyson, 26, and Charles Gaston III, 28, were charged with attempted robbery and murder in the deaths of Oyewole and Broussard.

Tyson admitted to police that the group intended to rob the store owner, records show.

Tyson’s mother, Wyneka Tyson, said her son should not face murder charges.

Oakland police to address Cash for Gold gun battle

Oakland police on Thursday are set to address what occurred at Cash for Gold, where a shop owner exchanged gunfire with five attempted robbery suspects and two of them died.

"I don't think that's good at all. I don't think that's fair at all. Make it make sense to me," she said. "Not just because it's my child in this predicament, it's not right when it goes on with anybody's kid, anybody."

She added that Tyson is the father of an 8-year-old girl.

KTVU legal analyst Michael Cardoza said California’s "provocative act" doctrine allows prosecutors to charge suspects with murder even if they didn’t fire the fatal shots.

"Don't go in and do an act, that's inherently dangerous and provoke a deadly response, because if you do, even though you're not the one that started the shooting, you are responsible for anybody that's killed in that situation," Cardoza said.

Authorities have not said whose bullets killed Oyewole and Broussard or which suspects carried weapons. Police said they recovered seven guns after the shootout, four of which belonged to the store owner.