The man facing a first-degree murder charge in the shooting death of a state parole officer last week in Oakland was a parolee who had appearently missed an appointment with his parole officer one day earlier.

Last Thursday's shooting at a parole office on Edgewater Drive in Oakland occurred at 1 pm, and took the life 40-year-old California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Parole Agent Joshua Byrd.

The suspect, who was arrested after he allegedly fled the scene, boarded a bus and robbed someone, was identified as 48-year-old Brian Keith Hall, a man who had recently been paroled after being jailed in connection with an unprovoked knife attack near Lake Merritt in November 2022. In that attack, the victim suffered a stab wound to the neck, and Hall was charged with attempted murder.

But, in January 2025, after serving just over two years behind bars, Hall was released on parole, with credit for time served, after pleading guilty to the lesser charge of assault with a deadly weapon. He avoided a potential life sentence.

As the Chronicle reports today via court documents, Hall was scheduled to meet with his parole officer — who was apparently not Agent Byrd — on Wednesday, July 16, but he failed to show up for an appointment. He then proceeded to arrive at the parole office on Thursday afternoon, and was told his parole officer was not there.

We don't know any further details about what transpired, but this is when the shooting occurred, and Hall allegedly shot Byrd and then fled the scene.

Investigators say they have witnesses who saw Byrd running away from the office with a gun in his hand.

As NBC Bay Area reported last week, in addition to apparently robbing someone on an AC Transit bus, Hall allegedly stole a car near the Eastmont neighborhood. We don't have many details about his arrest, but a large police and SWAT presence was seen at 65th and Bancroft avenues, and Hall was ultimately arrested at 90th Avenue and International Boulevard.

Agent Byrd had been with the CDCR since 2014, and he left behind a wife and three children.

CDCR Secretary Jeff Macomber put out a statement last week saying, "Our hearts are heavy as we remember Parole Agent Joshua Byrd, whose bravery and dedication led to his tragic death in the line of duty. We extend our deepest condolences to the law enforcement community, as well as to Agent Byrd’s family and friends. Those who violate the law will ultimately face consequences."

This was the first killing of a parole agent in California's history, and the first line-of-duty death for the corrections department since 2008.