Gunfire amid Berkeley domestic violence call; man arrested

Berkeley police arrested a man early Saturday morning after getting reports of a shooting during a domestic violence call.

It was the fourth non-injury shooting in Berkeley this year.

The suspect, 37-year-old Cartier Hunter, was at one point sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of murder in Oakland in 2016.

He was later released after a key witness recanted, claiming an OPD detective paid her off.

The DA at the time, Nancy O’Malley, ultimately dropped all the charges.

Hunter and his codefendant are now suing the city of Oakland in federal court, alleging “egregious and unconstitutional misconduct.”

Their civil case is on hold pending the outcome of the criminal case against OPD Detective Phong Tran, which includes perjury and bribery allegations. The Scanner has been tracking the case closely.

Read more about shootings in Berkeley.

Early Saturday, Berkeley police began getting reports at about 2:40 a.m. about a man using a scooter to break the windows of a home in the 1200 block of Ashby Avenue, just east of San Pablo Avenue.

A 911 caller told police the man had a gun, BPD said.

A responding officer stopped Hunter just after new calls came in about gunfire in the 1100 block of Carrison Street, one block over, police said.

When officers searched the area, they found casings as well as a discarded firearm, authorities said.

Hunter, an Oakland resident, was arrested on suspicion of shooting at an inhabited dwelling and several gun-related crimes, including being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to booking records.

He was also arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor obstruction and being drunk in public, along with felony vandalism.

10 years ago, a life sentence for murder

Hunter’s first criminal case in Alameda County came in 2008, when he was 19, court records show.

The auto burglary case was dismissed the next year, when Hunter was 20, as part of a plea deal tied to a separate home burglary conviction.

He was sentenced to four years in prison and later released on probation, according to court records.

In 2012, a misdemeanor DUI conviction landed him on probation through 2016, according to court records.

In 2014, when Hunter was 25, he was charged with home burglary and drug sales, the same year he and another man were arrested on suspicion of the murder of 23-year-old Charles Butler in North Oakland in 2011.

After their murder convictions in 2016, Hunter was sentenced to life in prison. The other man was sentenced to 26 years to life.

An appeals court upheld both convictions in 2018.

In 2021, however, a key witness recanted and the case was dismissed, resulting in their release in 2022.

The state ultimately paid Hunter nearly $450,000 for his time in prison, according to the California Victim Compensation Board.

Hunter, who is now 37, is being held at Berkeley Jail on $277,500 bail.

He is scheduled for arraignment Wednesday.

Police also arrested a 27-year-old woman early Saturday morning on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence. She has no prior arrests listed in public records.

Saturday’s shooting marked the first confirmed gunfire in Berkeley since January, when there were three shootings.