POLICE SAY COPS ACTED PROPERLY

Hold-Fire Warning Apparently Didn't Register With Rookies

OAKLAND -- The two rookie cops who mistakenly shot and killed an undercover
colleague acted in accordance with their training, police said Monday.

Details of Thursday's tragic incident were released after interviews with
the two traumatized men over the weekend. One dramatic revelation included
a hold-fire warning given to the officers which was unable to break their
deadly concentration.

Six-year veteran Tory Nash said "Hey, it's just Willie" when he saw Tim
Scarrott, 23, and Andrew Koponen, 29, pointing their black, .40 caliber
Glocks at William Wilkins.

Intense focus may have kept the officers from heeding the warning, said
Lieutenant Paul Berlin, commander of Oakland Police Department's homicide
unit. But he added that given the limited information they had, Scarrott
and Koponen acted appropriately when they fired on Wilkins who they thought
was threatening the life of Demetrius Phillips.

The officers, who are partners, responded to a radio call by Wilkins who
had sighted a stolen vehicle. They did not know Wilkins, who was a county
narcotics task force agent, who at the time was assisting in an Oakland
Police surveillance operation of which they were unaware.

"Wilkins didn't have the time to get on the radio and do those things he
should have done," said Berlin.

Wilkins was able to catch the suspect driver, Phillips, in a driveway in
the 9100 block of B Street just as the uniformed officers arrived.

Scarrott and Koponen saw what they believed was a fight unrelated to the
theft. Then, Wilkins' blue-chrome pistol caught their attention, Berlin said.

Black guns are standard issue for Oakland police, so the glinty weapon may
have misled the officers. Darkness further obscured his identity by hiding
the police badge and name tag that hung from a chain around Wilkins' neck.

"There's no direct policy for IDing in the field," said Berlin, because
undercover agents need that flexibility.

When undercover officers are making arrests, they should display a badge
and ID, but sometimes you're not given the opportunity, said Officer Dave
Downing of the department's Training Division. He posed a hypothetical
question: "What's more important to put in my hand, my badge or my gun?"

Police said Phillips heard both officers command Wilkins, from 15 to 20
feet away, to drop the gun, but Wilkins looked at them briefly and stepped
toward Phillips without identifying himself further.

He may have expected the policemen to recognize him, Berlin said. At that
moment, Nash, was about 50 feet away, moving in from the perimeter. He
recognized Wilkins, and said, "Hey, it's just Willie."

His words did not register with the officers, who then fired 11 rounds. At
least two slugs entered Wilkins' abdomen and he was pronounced dead at 2:20
a.m., Friday morning at Highland Hospital.

Berlin said the mistake did not arise from inexperience as police officers,
but he noted veterans would have been more likely to recognize Wilkins.

The accident is a reflection of the department right now because the force
is so young, he said. "Seven years ago, everyone knew who everyone was." He
estimated the average patrol officer is in his or her mid-20s, with 2 to 3
years of experience," he said.

Investigators will conclude their inquiry in the next few weeks before
submitting the case to the district attorney for review.

A public viewing of Wilkins is scheduled for Wednesday 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
at the Chapel of Chimes, 32992 Mission Blvd., Hayward. Funeral services
start at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at All Saints Church, 22824 Second St.,
Hayward, immediately followed by a procession back to the chapel.

A trust fund has been set up for Officer Wilkins' family. Checks should be
sent to the William Wilkins Jr. Trust Fund, c/o Oakland Police Officers
Association, 717 Washington St., Oakland 94607. Account No. 124009606, Bank
of the West, or call (510) 834-9670.

Staff writer Glenn Chapman contributed to this report.