A suspect who was arrested in California on Saturday in connection with the shooting death of former California Golden Bears college basketball star Gene Ransom has been formally charged with murder, according to authorities.
Juan Angel Garcia, 25, was charged Monday and faces an additional charge of shooting at an occupied vehicle after he allegedly shot and killed Ransom, 65, during Friday’s rush hour as they were both driving along Interstate 880 in Oakland, FOX 2 of the Bay Area reported.
The suspect then allegedly fled the scene but was apprehended Saturday morning by the California Highway Patrol, police said.
CHP officers said Ransom had been shot in the head before he crashed his car into a guardrail, KGO-TV of San Francisco reported†
Alameda County prosecutors, who charged Garcia, did not disclose a possible motive for the crime but Highway Patrol investigators said the fatal shooting may have resulted from road rage.
Northbound lanes for I-880 were shut down for five hours following the shooting shooting, officials said.
Gene “The Dream” Ransom was a star athlete during his time at Cal, where he scored over 1,100 points from 1975-1978. He was subsequently inducted into the Cal Athletics Hall of Fame and was drafted into the NBA, although he never played a regular season game.
“We are shocked to hear the reports that Cal Athletics Hall of Famer Gene Ransom has been identified as a victim in a deadly freeway shooting,” the University of California at Berkeley said in a statement following his death. “Our thoughts are with Gene’s family and friends for this tragic loss. Gene was one of the greatest players in our men’s basketball program’s history, and he will be greatly missed.”
Ransom, born Horace Eugene Ransom on Jan. 21, 1957, formerly worked with Athletes United for Peace, a basketball program that seeks to keep kids from committing crimes, and Reach Your Goals, a group that trains youth in the Berkeley area, the San Francisco Chronicle reported†