Oakland father of 4 killed during McClymonds reunion remembered for outreach
OAKLAND, Calif. - An Oakland father was shot and killed while attending a high school reunion picnic over the weekend.
Tony Miller's loved ones said he would have gone to work on this day, connecting the homeless and others in need to services.
They said Miller will be missed by many in Oakland and San Francisco. .
Family and friends created a memorial and a birthday tribute in front of his childhood home in West Oakland on Monday evening, which would have been his 39th birthday.
"It's just something I can't really process yet. I can't really explain it," said Miller's sister, Sharlie Monson.
On Saturday, shortly after 7:30 p.m., police responded to a shooting during an annual alumni picnic for McClymonds High School at De Fremery Park in West Oakland.
Police said the area was filled with families, including young children.
"Looked over. You heard people screaming, saw my little guy over there lying on the ground," family friend Sam McNeal said, adding that he helped raise Miller.
McNeal said he deejayed at the reunion picnic.
He shared video he took of Miller when they went golfing the day before he was killed.
Tony Miller, a graduate of McClymonds High and an employee at Urban Alchemy in San Francisco.
Friends and family remember Tony Miller, who was killed at a McClymonds High School reunion. Sept. 30, 2024
McNeal said they enjoyed it so much, they had planned to go golfing again Saturday night after the reunion.
"Numbness. We live in a culture, we live in a neighborhood, a city where there's violence all the time," said McNeal.
Family and friends said their grief is compounded: Miller's twin brother, Tommy, was shot and killed in East Oakland in September 2008, almost exactly 16 years ago.
Now, the family is taking solace in their pride.
Relatives said Miller worked in San Francisco as a supervisor for Urban Alchemy, a nonprofit.
"He was a community healer. He worked in San Francisco in the Tenderloin, helping the less fortunate," said McNeal.
Miller's family and friends said they do not know if he was the intended target in the shooting.
They said they'll remember him as someone who helped others.
"Just outgoing, fun-loving, just everything," said Monson.
Family members said they never imagined losing both brothers to gun violence.
Miller leaves behind four children, ages 9 to 14.
The family is working on funeral arrangements.
Friends and family remember Tony Miller, who was killed at a McClymonds High School reunion. Sept. 30, 2024
Amber Lee is a reporter with KTVU. Email Amber at Amber.Lee@Fox.com or text/leave message at 510-599-3922. Follow her on Facebook @AmberKTVU, Instagram @AmberKTVU or Twitter @AmberKTVU