in our first one-on-one interview, mayor sheng thao tells us the backstory. she explains that while she is receiving a lot of public criticism, she is not planning to back down. "today in the bay's" emma goss reports. >> reporter: oakland's mayor, sheng thao, says she fired armstrong because she no longer had confidence in his leadership. now his supporters are questioning hers. >> unfortunately, i no longer have the confidence that he could continue to do what is needed to reform the oakland police department. >> reporter: in a one-on-one interview on thursday, mayor sheng thao defended her decision to fire oakland's police chief, leronne armstrong, citing an independent report that found him not credible. >> those were serious, very serious, sustained allegations around what is actually -- what i see as a systemic problem inside of the police department. >> reporter: since 2003, 20 years, the oakland police department has been under federal oversight, costing the city money and, according to thao, its credibility. >> we have to show to the federal monitor t

and mayor sheng thao will join us tonight at our 7:00 p.m. newscast. you won't want to miss it right here on nbc bay area. >>> in just a few hours the suspected half moon bay shooter will appear in court for a plea hearing. this comes following an emotional court appearance just last week. today in the bay's pete suratos joins us with more details on this. >> reporter: good morning, marcus. as you mentioned, it was an emotional hearing last week and it led to the judge calling for a ten-minute recess for him to regain his composure. they were focused on how much access the public will get to the case. chunli zhao was accused of shooting seven people, and one person survived the shooting. the judge granted a motion to restrict remote access to court records, and also there could be consideration of a gag order for attorneys and investigators. cameras in the courtroom, that was a big discussion. that is still tbd. that hearing will be taking place at 1:30, and we will provide updates on air and online at updates on nbcbayarea.com. pete suratos for today

of the mayor and again, i've lost confidence in chief leronne armstrong. >> reporter: mayor sheng thao says after her investigation it was clear chief leronne armstrong wasn't the right person to lead the police department forward. during the course of an investigation into how he handled police misconduct, the mayor says the chief made statements that troubled her. >> chief armstrong described the underlying incident as a minor vehicle collision. he said the officers made mistakes. >> reporter: this stems from an investigation into a former oakland police sergeant accused of a hit-and-run and firing his service weapon inside the elevator at police headquarters. the mayor says this was her decision and she fired him without running her decision by the police commission, which usually provides input on personnel matters. >> while i hoped the commission would be able to review the investigation and recommend action, it was not able for them to do so by the deadline. >> reporter: the firing of chief armstrong has some wondering if mayor sheng thao is the right person to lead the city of o

some they had some harsh words for the new mayor, sheng thao. >> the community held a passionate rally in support of leronne armstrong. they described him as an upstanding leader, who cared deeply for his community and always lived up to his promises. one man, today, says he has known armstrong since he was a child. >> both of us voted for sheng thao. evenly. i guess i was wrong. i've known him since 1984. his brother died in my arms at oakland tech high school. we were both shot in the hallway. >> reporter: walker said the bullet intended for armstrong's older brother also hit him. the to use to walk little ron as he called him, to school. this is a photo of armstrong with roberts granddaughter. >> being a police chief was armstrong's dream. there is a dark cloud over the city. >> reporter: they showed their support for armstrong, a man they claim was committed to reducing gun violence especially in light of his brother's death. >> you cannot tell me that he was not combating gang violence. >> he has been loyal to the community, did not matter what race. he's been loyal. >> reporter:

an exclusive with oakland mayor thao. she continues to defend her decision to fire the police chief. >> i no longer had the confidence in chief armstrong to fulfill those requirements, right, the requirements that i feel is incredibly -- >> was there a better option? also, the mayor talks about the a's. >>> plus, the lawmaker just returning from the war zone, and tells us what he saw as we approach the one-year mark of the war in ukraine. >>> and watch where you drive. thousands of teslas being recalled. because of autopilot. >>> students using ai to write papers. is it cheating? we investigate chatgp. >>> good evening. this is nbc bay area news tonight. i'm raj mathai. we're going to get to oakland mayor thao in a second, but first wanted to get you updated on some of the headlines. a 2-year-old girl kidnapped by her own mother in san jose. the girl has been found safe in oakland. that's the good news, but tonight police are still looking for the mom, this woman, crystal mendez. police say she abducted her daughter yeste

oakland's new mayor sheng thao has fired police chief leronne armstrong without cause. she says she's simply lost confidence in him and does not think they can move forward together, leading the city. she says without cause, but the firing stems from an independent report that found chief armstrong mishandled cases of officer misconduct, include agnone injury hit-and-run involving a sergeant of his who was in a patrol car at the time. the mayor says after the report came out, the chief made several statements that troubled her. she said the chief downplayed one of the incidents. the chief didn't believe that the cases in the report reflected systemic problems. >> this is not an easy decision, but it's one i believe is necessary for that progress to continue. it's precisely because i admire chief armstrong that this has been personally very difficult, but this process has reinforced my commitment to making decisions based on the best interests of the department and the city of oakland and not based on personal feelings or relationships. >> leronne armstrong declined our

this sign read, sheng thao, you are dead wrong. for nina, armstrong was always approachable, and engaged with the public. >> for myself, showing up to a lot of the crime in the asian community because of my friends and my family, but him showing up there and being at ease and comfortable with people looking for him, not because they are looking for the chief, but they are looking for mr. armstrong. >> reporter: here is another interesting perspective. former oakland councilmember lauren taylor, if you remember, he lost a tight race for mayor, told us he disagrees with the mayor's firing, particularly the the decision not to consult with the police commission. >> they were said to have a meeting last night, in order to review the report, and ask several questions that they had about the integrity of the investigation report released. but, the mayor made her decision and announced it in the hour before the police commission was able to do their duty. >> let's hear from the former chief. he released a statement today thanking the comm

. >> well, my up thao no longer has a vision. the chief was sworn in february 2021, nearly one year after former chief and current patrick was also fired without cause. the troubled department has had about a dozen police chiefs, both interim and official over the past 20 years. justin is digging into the details of this major story. justin, what can you tell us? well, the mayor fired the chief, saying she was troubled by some of the comments that he made during an investigation. so she decided to fire the chief without cause. >> again, this is not a disciplinary action. the chief to serve at the will of the mayor and i have lost confidence. >> reporter: keep in mind, that was her decision. she fired him without running it by the police commission, which usually provides input on matters like this. so how did we get here? for that, we have to go back. remember, the chief has been fighting hard because he was placed on paid leave by mayor sheng thao by how he handled a police misconduct case with a former opd sergeant accused of a

the oakland mayor sheng thao will be joining us during our 7:00 newscast.re are a lot of questions and concerns about her decision to fire chief armstrong. you don't want to miss it. it's right here on nbc bay area at 7:00 tonight. >>> a officer criminally charge in a deadly shooting is due in court for a hearing. jason fletcher is charged with volunteer manslaughter. body and security camera showed him shooting steven taylor in a walmart. he said taylor tried to shoplift and he was shot and tased within a minute of entering the store. taylor's family filed a $10 million lawsuit. his relatives plan to hold a news conference outside the courthouse today. >>> a south bay charter school in sunnyvale could be on its last leg. officials at the charter school say they cannot afford to keep the school going. they are discussing shutting two campuses in sunnyvale. the school serves more than 600 middle and high school students. school administrators and parents say they want to find a way to keep the schools open. >> i hope we are wrong. i hope there's a solution t

. >> most of us voted for you, sheng thao. even me. i guess i was wrong. i have known this man since 1984. his brother died in my arms at oakland tech high school but we were both shot in the hallway. >> reporter: oakland resident robert walker said the bullet intended for leronne armstrong's older brother also hit him. the to use to walk little ron, as they called him, to school. this is a photo of armstrong with robert's granddaughter, and this was taken the day that he became chief. >> being the police was leronne armstrong's dream. is a dark cloud over the city of oakland. >> reporter: robert was among several longtime residents and business owners who showed support for armstrong, a man they say was committed to reducing gun violence, especially in light of his brother's death. >> his main focus was, getting rid of gang violence where he grew up. you cannot tell me that he was not doing that. >> he has been loyal to the community. it did not matter what race. he's been loyal. >> reporter: several members of oakland's asian-american community also stan

>> reporter: juliette, mayor sheng thao just made the announcement here in this room a couple of hours ago, that the city has decided to part ways with police chief laurent armstrong. she said she talked to him over the course of the instigation and he made some comments that troubled her, deciding to fire him without cause. >> i want to be clear this is not a disciplinary action. i have lost confidence in chief armstrong, to ensure that we move forward with the city of oakland. >> reporter: this decision comes despite calls from the community and police chief himself to be reinstated. it stems from an investigation into former oakland police sergeant accused of a hit and run and fired his service weapon inside the elevator at police headquarters. chief armstrong says the investigation was biased, and admits he did not read the entire report, which he tells us is a common practice among chiefs. in the end, mayor thao reiterated numerous times, she lost confidence in the chief, and made the decision to fire him without running her decision by the police commission, which usually provide

one month after mayor sheng thao said. they not only want the chief reinstated. they want the mayor recalled. >> reporter: dozens of supporters of ousted opd police chief armstrong gathered today to vent their frustration and argue the chief's dismissal is more about politics than policy. >> do we feel that the current administration has our back? no, we don't. do we feel that we matter at all? no, we don't. >> reporter: many in this group have spent the last 30 days, publicly calling for the chief to be reinstated. today, they said the mayor clearly ignored their input. now, some are calling for mayor sheng thao to be recalled or step down from office. she must go. she will not work with the community. we have had several meetings, and she will not show up. she hasn't even sent a representative. we want to see her go. >> reporter: former mayoral candidate loren taylor said mayor armstrong was a better leader when it comes to reform than past police chiefs and believes hissy move will cause disruption in the police department. and the decision will allow armstron

well, the acting chief darren ellison is going to be in that role until mayor thao is going to pick a replacement. she also talked about who she wants to find in a replagsment. >> i have the difficult task of finding the next leader and role model and i look forward to working with them. i know they want to have a diverse and experienced pool of applicants and to finding the candidates committed to reform and who have demonstrated the ability to improve community police relationships. i also believe true reform does not stop with accountability only, and they must also work the system that has failed, and that is something that my administration is going to focus on in the coming weeks and months. >> all right. so the oakland police department has had a long list of the police chiefs in the past decade and maybe you know this, a total of 10 police chiefs and interims. howard jordan resigned in 2013f after two years, and then anthony tor ixr bishgsden and fairow, figueroa, sabrina landreth and then kirkpatrick, and now darren allison and manheimer and now fired armstrong. we will have

do you believe sheng thao should step down? >> i want to go there. i believe any mayor has big challenges. the problem with this mayor is that she listens to the wrong people. she is not hiring the right professional staff with experience to run a city. the campaign is over. ideology is over. now we have to run the city in the best interest of the residents and businesses. >> you say she is listening to the wrong people. who do you think she is listening to, and who should she listen to? >> i can tell you that, again, going back to oakland being the only city still closed. you tell me why oakland is still closed. >> all right. you gave me more questions to ask. thank you so much for joining us here for this community conversation.>>> i want to let viewers know we are trying to reach out to the mayor. i called today and asked the mayor to be part of the conversations on this broadcast. you know what happened? i got a voicemail. city hall is closed. when the voicemail picked up, i selected the option to be transferred to an assistant. that transfer met

he argues the oakland mayor, thao, should have known better. mayor thao based her firing on that report, which found that armstrong failed to oversee the investigation into an officer misconduct case. the former chief says the monitor bullied the mayor and others into dismissing him to continue the department's oversight and keep the paycheck that comes with it. >> i was a kid that wasbullied, and now we are dealing with a bully again. but i'm dealing with the bully head on, and i ask oakland to stand up and deal with this bully. >> the mayor's office and federal monitor did not return our calls for comment on armstrong's accusations. armstrong took over the city after the commission fired the former chief, kirkpatrick. we spoke with her on wednesday after the mayor fired armstrong. we asked kirkpatrick what she thought the future looks like for armstrong. >> the firing in oakland did -- was a huge barrier. i have not been able to get to cities i'd be interested in. i'm disappointed by that myself. i still would like to go back in, so he's goin

newly elected mayor sheng thao says she no longer has confidence that he will take the department in the direction that supports her vision for the city. andrea nakano was at the announcement which happened late this afternoon, she joins us live now with new information. andrea? >> reporter: juliet, mayor thao passed at this statement, read it word for word and then took questions from reporters but she says she was troubled by some of the comments that the chief made during the investigation, so she decided to fire him without cause. >> let me be clear that this is not a disciplinary action. i have lost confidence in chief armstrong to ensure that we move forward in the vision for the city of oakland. >> reporter: the chief was placed on administrator leave on january 19th for how he handled a police misconduct case. this stems from an investigation into a former oakland police sergeant accused of a hit and run, firing his service weapon inside the elevator at police headquarters. chief armstrong felt the investigation was biased. he admitted he did not read the entire report, which

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in the end, mayor thao reiterated numerous times that it was her who lost confidence in the chief, and decided to fire him. without cause. >> we must move forward in a way where we will uphold the standards in the department and as a city. under this administration, like i stated earlier, we want to treat all officers with the respect, but also treat all officers with regards to how they handle their cases, and more so than that, you know, again, this is not a disciplinary action. the chief does serve at the will of the mayor, and i have lost confidence in chief armstrong. >> reporter: mayor thao says this was a difficult decision, because she respected the search begins for anothety this city has 10 police 10years in the meantime, interim police chief darren alanson will take over to lead the department. thank you. >> thank you for that but juliette goodrich sat down with the now former chief armstrong a few days ago. >> reporter: yes. as you know, i talked with leronne armstrong. the neighborhood he grew up in, and asked him about the report and findings. this interview took place da

interview, oakland mayor sheng thao tells us why she's sticking to her decision and also when we can expect to hear from former chief armstrong. >> from anonymous complaints to city citations, the reasons merchants in san francisco's chinatown say they're being targeted over store awnings and the increasing costs they face. >> and a final farewell after nonstop storms, one beachfront community is saying good-bye to a historic landmark. the plans to demolish a famous pier. this is "today in the bay," streaming live on roku, amazon fire, and online. >>> a good morning to you on this friday. thank you for making us a part of your morning. i'm marcus washington. >> i'm laura garcia. we'll get to kari and mike in a moment. check this out. super nintendo world is just hours away from opening. you're inside the game. we're going to take you there live with a look before those big gates open. it's coming up in about 15 minutes. >>> now, let's get to that forecast. kari, we're in for another cold start to our morning. >> we are seeing those temperatures near freezing for a lot of spots inland

mayor sheng thao fired him last week after he was accused of mishandling officer misconduct case. today, the naacp and community leaders delivered an impassioned plea to the mayor. >> we demand he be fully exonerated, and that mayor thao reinstate him immediately. >> we reached out to the mayor's office for a response. we were told mayor thao did not have any additional content comment. >>> a war of words interrupted over barriers and sent to discuss capp street, this is the latest effort by the city to eliminate prostitution on the street, which has long been known as a hotspot, there. local seven cisco firefighters union called the barriers a safety hazard. they treated, quote, selfish decisions that put others at risk can have dire consequences, the treat goes on to say if you were trapped in the building, how long would you like to wait. supervisor hillary ronan, who represents the area fired back on twitter, today, quote, twitter is not the place to have serious policy conversations. working deeply on the issue, if you would like to join i welcome it. in the meantime, the bar

yesterday oakland mayor sheng thao fired chief leronne armstrong, who she suspended in january after an independent report found he allegedly mishandled cases of officer miskwukt. in a short statement after mayor sheng thao publicly announced his removal, armstrong, "i am deeply disappointed in the mayor's decision. i committed no misconduct and my termination is fundamentally wrong, unjustified, and unfair." he expects to release more details as he processes the fact that he's out of a job. a city council member called his removal plain wrong and is worried about how much this will cost the city if armstrong decides to sue. a civil rights attorney who has been working to get the oakland police department out from under two decades of federal oversight thought armstrong was moving the department in a direction that would see a way out from that oversight sometime this year. >> i'm disappointed because i didn't think there was sufficient evidence to justify termination -- terminating the chief under the circumstances. >> this is a police chief that has been part of a dysfunctional and

when asked about the decision of mayor sheng thao, they did not mince words ?obody holding her responsible? >> i cannot figure that out. she is a big part of the problem. she needs be held accountable. somebody will have to clear his name. if you are dragging it through the mud, you may need to help to clear his name as well. >>> lebron james has a shot at history. there it is! lebron james stands alone. >> wait for the step back jumper. in it goes. that is all, a new record has been broken. 's demand >> that man is the greatest of all-time. he now settles the debate. >> reporter: the 38-year-old made history, breaking the all-time scoring record set by kareem abdul-jabbar over 30 years ago. it is now set at 30,390 points. going into the game against the oklahoma city thunder, he was 36 points shy of reaching the career scoring record. he and other celebrities were in attendance , late in the third quarter, he broke it against oklahoma city. i know there was a lot of excitement in that arena. >> reporter: everything had to stop when it happened. that jumper gav

. >>> oakland's top cop has officially been fired by mayor thao. she no longer has confidence in armstrong and taking the department that supports her vision for the city. the chief has been on the job for three yearwas sworn in in f 2021 nearly one year after the former chief kirk patrick was also fired without cause. the troubled department has had about a dozen police chiefs interim and official over the past 20 years. justin andrews is live digging into details of this major story. a lot happening yesterday, justin. fill us in. >> reporter: the mayor fired the chief saying she was troubled by some of the comments he made during an investigation. so she decided to fire him without cause. >> this is not a disciplinary action. the chief does serve at the will of the mayor and again i have lost confidence. >> reporter: keep in mind that was her decision and she fired him without running it by the police commission which usually provides input on matters like this. how did we get here? remember the chief has been fighting hard because he was placed

we also, again, reached out to mayor sheng thao's office and she responded with a statement through a spokesperson thing we have no additional comment and would refer you to her remarks from last wednesday. that is when the official firing announcement was made. not another word yet from her on that. >>> 680 is back open ahead of schedule. caltrans reopened the freeway. repairs began between koopman road and pleasanton. the other big transit project we are following, rock ridge and lafayette station shutdown friday for track repairs. our chopper spotted the crews out there working hard today and getting everything ready ahead of reopening. >>> another powerful earthquake has struck turkey and syria, the same area hit by the massive and deadly earthquake two weeks ago. the sounds of those sirens all too common now for people traumatized by the quake. emergency crews rushed to yet another scene as the quake hit. this time it was a 6.4 shaker but followed by a really big aftershock. no immediate reports of casualties. of course, we know it takes days to get that number. the death toll fr

job. >> as a police chief i did my job a belie i did it well. >> he was terminated by mayor sheng thao on wednesday. >> i'm no longer confident he can do the work needed to achieve the vision. >> this after the chief was placed on paid leave for a month after a report questioned his conduct surrounding one of his sergeants. the former chief said he did nothing wrong. >> my termination was never about the facts, about performance, or my ability to effectively lead the oakland police department. my termination was about federal monitor robert wardshaw and the mayor's failure to fight for the oakland community. >> the oakland police department confirms two o.p.d. lieutenants, were put on paid leave last month for mishandling the same investigations that led to chief armstrong's firing. >> every error made by the police department is considered a scandal. >> this week community advocates and faith leaders rallied in support of armstrong. >> we're going to demand that chief armstrong be rehired and back in his rightful place. shouldn't public safety be the main concern of oakland? >> armstr

we have been asking for mayor thao to talk to us about what she said, that she lost confidence in the chief and made the decision to separate him from the city without cause. so, a lot of questions, right? today we are hearing from the mayor firsthand on that decision. ryan yamamoto asked her what everybody wants to know, what specifically did chief armstrong do? >> again, i have great respect for chief armstrong. i have a -- you know, we worked together well when i was on the city council. it's unfortunate that i no longer have the confidence. he could do what was needed to reform the police department and move from under the federal oversight. you know, we have a federal judge overseeing the oversight of the city that he said was pr and that the independent investigative report demonstrated cultural problems in the department. we have to work to ensure that we are making sure that we are not just checking boxes in front of the judge but at the same time that these cultural significant issues are addressed. so, right now, we are focused on what we are going to do next. and, again, th

our exclusive one-on-one interview with mayor sheng thao. we asked her why she fired the police chief, despite calls from the community to keep him on the job. plus, more details of that tesla recall. how concerning is it? that story and more coming up on our 7:00 newscast. >>> up next. frustration and fear growing after a toxic train derailment in ohio. nbc news is with the head of the e.p.a., asking if people are safe, after rivers are fill the with dead fish and animals are seen dying in that area. lester holt joins us next. >>> tonight our nbc exclusive. with president biden after addressing the nation on those mystery objects shot down by the u.s. the president facing mounting pressure defending his response and saying those objects do not appear to be linked to china's spying program. so what do officials think they are and our interview with the president. we ask what consequences should china face for that spy balloon. >>> also tonight, growing outrage in ohio the epa chief visiting the community impacted by that toxic train derailme

mayor sheng thao fired him last week after he was accused of mishandling on officers misconduct case. today, the naacp and community leaders delivered an impassioned plea to the mayor. >> we demand that he be fully exonerated, and that mayor thao reinstate him immediately. >> we have reached out to the mayor's office repeatedly, for a response to the pending appeal . we were told the mayor did not have any additional comment. >>> during this black history month, we are recognizing changemakers in our own community and people fighting for justice and equality. tonight, sharon chen introduces us to a bay area man who helps at risk kids get set up for success. >> reporter: schumann wright is building bridges, making for the next generation of young people have hope. he is afraid of heights, but he musters the courage to go to the window to enjoy the panoramic view of sentences go from the top floors of linkedin. >> in a comfortable space and having a beautiful view, it is amazing. >> reporter: he is not here for himself in the field trip is to open the eyes and minds of 90 antioch teenag

we caught up with sheng thao to ask her about his future. >> can you say when he might be back?it is a personality issue. i can't say that. >> reporter: we repeatedly requested interviews with tao, but she has declined to comment. she said that her decision was not meant to be punitive. armstrong sent her a letter that he says will be made public. that likely echoes his pleas to be put back to work. in a separate statement, he said that the facts demonstrate that i acted properly, following all policies and procedures. i did nothing wrong and deserve to be reinstated to protect the public and protect my well- earned reputation. thank you for your support. >> we want him to continue the work he has done in this community! for families that have lost their children, he has been the number one advocate! >> reporter: families of victims of gun violence rallied on his behalf. when asked about mayor thao 's decision, they didn't mince words. >> what you think nobody is holding her responsible in this? >> i can't figure that out, because she is a big part of the problem. somebody is go

mayor sheng thao fired him as he was accused of mishandling a misconduct case. naacp and community leaders delivered an impassioned plea. >> we demand he be fully exonerated and mayor thao reinstate him immediately! >> we reached to the mayor's office for response and we were told mayor thao did not have additional comment. that's a look at top stories. >>> a missouri woman is celebrating her 105th birthday. irene was born in 1918 and can still remember going to church in a horse and buggy. she has plenty secrets for staying young at heart including painting, embroidering, tracing geneology. >> i think you've got to keep your mind and body active. >> other hobbies, keeping up with the news and stock market. happy birthday. >> hopefully i can live a long life like she does. >> she's so alert. what a blessing to have somebody in your life. one of my biggest regrets when i think about my grandma was not asking her about everything she has lived through. it's a blessing to have someone like in in your life. >> my grandma was 106 before she passed away in 2021. >>> 6

chief armstrong has been fired by oakland's new mayor thao.back for a department already struggling with staffing problems and violent crimes. justin andrews is following the story. this is causing a lot of questions about what's going on. >> reporter: this firing has forced a major shake up at police headquarters. the question is for mayor thao who placed him on paid leave. people are asking why. this decision was the mayor's biggest most controversial yet. the mayor sided an investigation to support her decision where she says she was troubled by the chief's comments. since january 19 when armstrong was placed on administrative leave, he has been fighting to be reinstated. back to the investigation mayor thao cited is connected to handling of a case where an officer is accused of hit and run and firing his service weapon in the elevator at headquarters. the chief admits he didn't read the entire report and tells us it is common among chiefs and tells us he decided not to fire the officer. this is what he said after the firing. he wrote, quot

>> we have asked mayor thao for interview requests, but she is not responded. has said that her response was not meant to be punitive. >>> coming up, we will meet a navy fighter pilot and his father, also a former navy fighter pilot, when we come back. >>> beautiful weather across >>> welcome back, friends. in honor of black history month, we are highlighting a black navy fighter pilot who helped to turn the tide in the most crucial battle in the korean war. the movie is called devotion. it is about jesse brown, the first black aviator in navy history, who became the most celebrated women. join me as the director bruce dillard, who also has the bragging rights of beier blue a second black blue angels pilot in the country if i read that correctly, right? what a wonderful distinction. so you must be very proud of your son directing something that really touches close to home! i am going to leave you alone! >> very happy, very proud! it has been a process for him. so just to look at his career, seeing it blossom and have him make an opportunity and make good on it

mayor thao placed chief armstrong on leave more than two weeks ago. it came after a report that concluded the police department mishandled cases of officer misconduct. the chief says there's no evidence to suggest that he did anything wrong. the mayor's office has not responded to our request for comment on this matter. >>> all right. let's get back to our earthquake coverage overseas and how it relates here to the bay area. we haven't seen this type of disaster in a while. the 7.8 quake, the largest ever recorded in turkey. you could just see it, and you can hear the shaking. seismologists say it took as long as two minutes for it to stop. can you imagine that? two minutes of rumbling and destruction. tonight the united nations is warning that the death toll to increase substantially. one of the reasons, the possibility of more buildings collapsing. that includes this collapse in turkey that happened during a live broadcast here. you see the journalist there. you can see people running onto the streets as debris and dust fall all around them. that re

others are trying to move forward with mayor sheng thao's decision. the department continued its sideshow detail over the weekend to decrease the illegal activity. >> acting chief darren allison announced last week that more walking officers will be on patrol. 15 will be sworn in during the next 3 years for business districts in several neighborhoods, including west oakland, the anti police terror project works to eradicate police tear and communities of color and immediately came out in support of armstrong spy ring executive director kat brooks saying in part, quote, this was a bold and courageous move. this is an important first step in decades of little to 0 accountability for this department. her organization claims that armstrong lied about the department being defunded and about officers using excessive force, including tear gassing brooks and others in oakland are calling for mayor tao to focus less on increased policing and more in securing affordable housing, jobs and education. other groups have come out in support of the firing of lauren a

newly elected mayor sheng thao says she no longer has confidence that he will take the department inment which happened late this afternoon, she joins us live now with new information. andrea? >> reporter: juliet, mayor thao passed at this statement, read it word for word and then took questions from reporters but she says she was troubled by some of the comments that the chief made during the investigation, so she decided to fire him without cause. >> let me be clear that this is not a disciplinary action. i have lost confidence in chief armstrong to ensure that we move forward in the vision for the city of oakland.

we are nearly two months into oakland mayor sheng thao's new administration and she has had a lot to deal with in that time, from the firing of laronne armstrong to a ransomware attack that crippled the city's computer system. we spoke to the mayor about these issues and also the issues that she sees on the horizon. >> again, i do believe strongly in the decision that i made and i stand by it. again, the chief does serve at the pleasure of the mayor, so with this being said, as we move forward into this administration, we are geared towards making sure that we have strong ties with our opd department and our community as well. it is unfortunate that investments were not made previously with other previous administrations to ensure that the i.t. infrastructure was in place, but with that being said, this administration will be making those investments to ensure that this never happens again. i can tell you that it is going to be all hands on deck on the street to make sure that there are clean streets and make sure the people have safe parks to attend. please be on the lookout for our

the new oakland mayor, sheng thao, placed him on leave more than two weeks ago, amidst allegations theed cases of officer misconduct. armstrong argues the narrative of his role in the investigation, quote, defies even common logic, unquote. the mayor's office did not respond to our request for comment. >>> time to get a look at that forecast. another cold start to the week. >> it's a cold start. it's also mostly clear. we're waking up to a nice sunrise. then we'll take a look at our high temperatures, we only make it into the mid to upper 50s for most spots today. we're back down into the upper 30s tomorrow. we put it on repeat but get a little warmer throughout the week and only slight rain chances for the weekend. >>> and a couple of key spots to warn you about on the peninsula, south 101, continues with the alert, approaching oyster point boulevard. just past that exit everything is clear on the peninsula, 280 is a much better route, but this injury crash continues to block three lanes of south 101. south 680 look a little better as the crash just cleared at andrade. look at the slo

thao lost confidence the him after a report accused him of mishandling claims.nation unjustified. community leaders are divided over the decision and some don't think there was evidence and others lauded the mayor's decision. a discipline committee was supposed to meet to determine the chief's fate but that was canceled after the mayor canceled armstrong hours before. our reporter is tracking the story and she will have an update in the afternoon news cast. >>> the man accused in the half moon bay mass shooting is appearing in court. emotions ran high a week ago. pete looks at the case so far. >> reporter: appeared in court last week, and he was pretty emotional. the judge calling for a ten minute recession in last week's hearing. we'll see what takes place later today. the main focus was on how much access the public would get to this case. now zhao was charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder and suspected of shooting and killing seven farm workers in half moon bay last month. there was one other person who did survive that shooting. now there were

some have expressed support for mayor sheng thao's decision to let him go, a lot of people say she was wrong. that includes the former chief. he put out a new statement saying he believes termination was result of a fundamentally flawed process. the former chief also says he will continue to evaluate his legal options to preserve his rights and reputation. >> he has been loyal to the community. >> people in oakland and city leaders rallied in support of the former chief. several members of the asian american community credit armstrong with increasing patrols in chinatown amid robberies and brutal attacks. supporters say he was committed to reducing gun violence in a community where he grew up and where he lost his brother. >> being the police was his dream. it's a dark cloud over oakland now. he stabilized things. there was balance, you know. he committed to what he was doing. >> some oakland community members have spoke up in support of thao's decision to firearm strong saying she made the right choice due to lack of opd accountability. >>> big crowds are expected at tahoe resorts ove

mayor sheng thao stood by her peer >> it is an ongoing investigation and we take all of the allegations very seriously. again, it is a personnel matter and we will leave it at that. >> armstrong's legal team sent a formal letter asking for reinstatement the letter is not being released to the public. both armstrong and his supporters say the problem lies with the federal oversight monitor. >> his job is to assure that we come out of monitor ship. every time we are about to come out, it is always something. that is not fair to us. >> we have reached out and not heard back. armstrong was not available for comment today. sunday, he said the report was not grounds for him to be put on leave. >> my review confirms the investigators and federal -- federal monitor conclusion is not supported by evidence >> supporters say the longer this goes on, the more it hurts oakland's progress toward making the city safer. >> we have to go through the same cycle of noise that is disrupting everything we are working hard towards accomplishing, which is saving our people. >> we want chief armstrong back in

some have expressed support for mayor sheng thao's decision. lot of people she incling himself. het t a emen saying he beli termination was result of a fundamentally flawed process. he also says he will continue to evaluate legal options to preserve his rights and reputation. thao explained she decided to firearm strong without cause based on his reaction to the investigation and is down playing that its findings reflected serious findings in the department. >> i can say it is clear to me there are systemic issues and the city needs to address them and that we cannot simply write them off as mistakes. >> for all our coverage on the ousted chief, head to kpix.com. >> so many questions there that need to be answered. >>> all star weekend is here which means we are about halfway through nba season. warriors are getting a much needed break. for franco finn, the in arena host, he will be representing dub nation and filipino heritage on a national stage at this year's all star game. >> dub nation, are rt: if you h to a warriors game, you know that vo

reinstated, and that was against the chapter of the naacp had also asked for him to be reenstated, but thao said it was time for a change. >> the chief has my respect for the service to the department, and the city he grew up, and clearly loves dearly. he will continue to have my respect and appreciation. but i am no longer confident that chief armstrong can complete the vision, so i have decided to discharge chief armstrong from the city without cause. i want to be clear that this is not a disciplinary action. i have lost confidence in chief armstrong to ensure that we move forward for impact decisions for the city. >> and she added that the federal monitor who has been overseeing the city for over a decade said that he was disappointed in the evidence that he had seen in the report saying that it demonstrates cultural problems with and the department, and now within the past 30 minutes a spokesperson for chief armstrong said he is deeply disappointed in the decision and how it is handled that the chief was notified that he would be dismissed 15 minutes before the press conference. he is l

and that the mayor sheng thao will be joining us at 7:00 p.m. you won't want to miss that. that's here on nbc bay area at 7:00 tonight. >>> and then city leaders making a promise on the same day the man accused of causing a blast faced a judge. today in the bay's terry mcsweeney has the story. >> a standing room only meeting in the city's sunset district. >> i brought together all of the relevant department heads to speak directly to the residents. we will follow-up with them. >> emergency management, fire and police leaders addressed the crowd and then we talked to victims. >> we needed security out here right now. too much traffic is going by and too many people looking and we are worried about our properties. >> not empty words, but the real thing. >> the people that live next door to the house that exploded lost 90% of everything they own, and moved in with friends now. they were at the meeting and left with a very positive attitude. >> we heard a way to cut through red tape to receive direct support from some of the department heads. >> we learned the name of the woman

oakland mayor sheng thao also has the authority to fire him without cause. a 37-report by the law firm accuses armstrong of engaging in gross dereliction of duty when he failed to old officers accountable for misconduct and did not ensure there was a fair disciplinary process. it details a 2021 incident when two odp officers who were engaged in a secret romantic relationship hit a parked pedestrian vehicle with their police vehicle and drove off. the incident was captured on video and obtained by opd. a second confidential report published in full describes a meeting months later where armstrong claims to not know much about the hit-and-run and chooses not to discipline either officer involved. >> officers at the meeting described him as cutting off the discussion, cutting off questions that others had about the incident. so that the meeting abruptly ended with the chief just cutting everyone off and then signing off on the report. >> reporter: retired superior court judge ladoris cordell said, if that's true, chief armstrong will have a difficult time avoid

i asked to talk with mayor thao. a spokesperson for the mayor's office sent a statement instead and is set in part, she shows the frustration of the small business owners. and said she has been in office they have been working a better response solutions and preventative measures. i called other city resources like oakland's economic and workforce development, but the phone number take you to a voicemail that is full. that is a dead-end. the california insurance department got back to me. to help with filing for claims, when it comes to those types of situations. that is a phone number to call. a reached out to the small business administration. they do not offer specific resources and programs for crimes like these, they did try to help when i told them i could not find any other way for these people to get help. that included some resources with local programs that businesses can do. i have those resources for you on kpix.com. >>> coming up. we bring you a unique super bowl story. held volunteers made watching it e

oakland mayor sheng thao is definitely standing by her decision. she expressed that in a one-on-one interview with nbc bay area. as you mentioned, the former police chief may be responding to all of this shortly. he may be doing it as early as today. during this one-on-one interview she did with raj mathai, she said she fired the former chief leronne armstrong after reading this independent report that she says hurt his credibility to do the job. oakland police have been under what they call a federal monitor for 20 years. the newly elected oakland mayor, she wants to bring that monitor to an end, but supporters for the former chief armstrong say he is their best shot at making that a reality. here is the mayor explaining her decision to fire the former chief, as well as some of armstrong's supporters speaking out about his firing. >> in the independent investigative report i think that it is short sight if we are not paying attention to what the investigation found and those are serious sustained allegations around what is actually -- it's what i

another changing of the guard of the police department after mayor thao fired chief armstrong. >> this is not a disciplinary action.lost confidence in chief armstrong. >> this comes after he handled of misconduct case after sergeant was accused of a hit- and-run and firing his service weapon inside the s elevator in police headquarters. he released a statement saying, i am deeply disappointed in the mayor's decision after the relevant facts are fully evaluated by weighing the evidence instead of pulling soundbites from strategically leaked inaccurate reports. it will be clear that i was a loyal and effective reformer of the oakland police department. we are at oakland city hall this morning where a rally of support for him is underway. >> the news of armstrong's firing has a lot of people here in oakland talking from city and community leaders. right now there is a rally beginning in the second tier where they will be voicing their support for the former chief armstrong. there are strong opinions. the oakland city council president supports the mayor's decision but this councilmembers

mayor sheng thao and london breed will deliver addresses this morning.hes are part of an event held by the san francisco business times. >> and supporters plan to hold another rally calling for the reinstatement of suspended oakland police chief leronne armstrong. yesterday armstrong sent a formal letter asking the police commission and mayor sheng thao to reinstate him. armstrong is currently on administrative leave after a report concluding that the police department mishandled cases of officer misconduct. the chief says there's no evidence he did anything wrong. today's rally is taking place outside oakland police headquarters. >> 5:42 this morning. we take a live look in san jose. this is from sausalito. it looks nice and clear. >> nice view. >> meteorologist kari hall is monitoring what we can expect. the temperatures are cold this morning. >> we'll be slightly warmer going into the afternoon. it is very chilly as you get ready to head out. temperatures in the north bay and valleys are starting in the mid to upper 30s. we're seeing that in the tri-v