Man slain while doing yard work outside his Maxwell Park home in Oakland is identified

Oakland police have identified a man fatally shot Monday evening while he was doing yard work outside his Maxwell Park neighborhood home.

OAKLAND — A 60-year-old man fatally shot Monday evening night while doing yard work outside his Maxwell Park neighborhood home was identified by police Wednesday as David Schneider.

Homicide investigators are still trying to confirm a motive for the killing and identify suspects.

Schneider, who lived in the 5000 block of Camden Street for decades, was shot just before 6 p.m. Monday while trimming trees and doing other yard work. After he was shot, he was able to stagger to a next-door neighbor’s home where he collapsed and was later pronounced dead.

Investigators are reviewing video surveillance footage from the area to see if he was the victim of an attempted robbery or something else. They are also hoping the video helps them identify a suspect and any vehicles involved.

The killing “absolutely stunned” the Maxwell Park community, said Jose Dorado, who has been chair of the Maxwell Park Neighborhood Council since 1998. He said more than 100 people attended a vigil outside Schneider’s home Tuesday night.

Homicides are particularly rare in the area and some have referred to Maxwell Park as an island of tranquility. Its streets are lined by mostly single-family homes and is just south of Interstate 580 and east of High Street in East Oakland.

“That’s what so shocking,” Dorado said. “This is such a peaceful neighborhood in general.”

He and others still cannot fathom why Schneider was shot.

“If you’re going to rob him he certainly wasn’t gong to resist,” Dorado said. “We still don’t understand what happened.  This is absolutely a tragedy. People are still shaking their heads.”

He said a community meeting is being scheduled for next week to discuss public safety in the area.

Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering up to $10,000 in reward money for information leading to the arrest of the killer. Anyone with information may call police at 510-238-3821 or 510-238-7950 or Crime Stoppers at 510-777-8572.