Second arrest in El Cerrito homicide, marijuana robbery suspected
El Cerrito police have arrested a second suspect in an Aug. 23, 2026 fatal shooting and now believe a marijuana robbery was the motive. They also now believe the suspect arrested earlier was one of two people who fired shots.
Jamir Buckley, 18, of Richmond was arrested on Monday, Aug. 31 in connection with the killing in the parking lot at Potrero and San Pablo avenues, according to a Nixle notice from police. Police suspect him of being the driver of the car in which the three suspects fled. Buckley was found in possession of an illegal assault rifle and high-capacity magazine, police said.
Based on “additional forensic examination,” El Cerrito detectives now believe the first suspect they arrested, Jacari Talifero Gibson, 18, of Richmond, was one of two suspects who fired shots. The detectives worked with the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office to amend charges against Gibson to include murder, according to police.
El Cerrito detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Gibson Aug. 24 and working with Richmond police took him into custody and searched his home, according to an earlier notice from police.
KTVU has identified the victim as 21-year-old Jakai Couch.
El Cerrito police said they were able to identify the vehicle they believe was used by the three suspects with the help of other jurisdictions and their Flock and Vigilant cameras. The Flock cameras in El Cerrito, including ones near where the shooting took place, had only recently been removed.
“Surveillance cameras near the scene of the crime captured footage of the suspect’s vehicle,” the earlier Nixle announcement said. “This footage did not provide ECPD with a license plate. Investigators collaborated with regional jurisdictions to identify a license plate for the suspect vehicle, thanks to Flock Safety and Vigilant ALPR cameras. This information proved essential in identifying the vehicle used by the suspects to flee the scene. El Cerrito Investigators placed the vehicle on a statewide alert list.”
El Cerrito Police Chief Paul Keith told KTVU, “I still believe license-plate readers are the best tool that modern law enforcement agencies can have.” If El Cerrito’s cameras were still in place, he told the news station, police would have been able to locate the vehicle involved in the incident much quicker.
Use of the cameras has been hotly debated locally and throughout the country, with police and others concerned about public safety calling it a valuable law enforcement tool and opponents citing instances of abuse of the technology and distrust over how data from the cameras could be used.
El Cerrito had 40 Flock cameras, including ones near where the shooting took place.The El Cerrito City Council voted in early May not to renew its contract with Flock Safety. In a June 11 Nixle post, the El Cerrito Police Department reported all 40 Flock license plate readers had been shut down, although Flock was slow to actually remove the equipment.
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Nixle reports from El Cerrito police and other government links