Man Killed By Stray Bullet Had Castro Valley Link

Castro Valley has a connection to an Oakland tragedy.

Lionel "Ray" Fluker, who was killed by a stray bullet outside his home Friday night, worked for about a year at the Castro Valley Sanitary District.

"He was an upbeat person," said CVSAN General Manager Roland P. Williams, Jr. "He was always laughing. It was infectious."

Williams said Fluker worked for CVSAN several years ago as an engineering technichian. Although his tenure was brief, he was well-known and liked and had stayed in touch with members of the district's 20-person staff.

"He will be missed," Williams said.

Fluker, 54, was shot at about 10:15 p.m. near Seminary Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard.

Oakland police Sgt. Arturo Bautista told Bay City News that Fluker was not the shooter's intended target and that he appeared to have been struck by a stray bullet. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Fluker was also an East Bay photojournalist who had worked for more than a decade as a freelance photographer for the Oakland Tribune.

Nick Lammers, director of photography for the Bay Area News Group, which publishes the Oakland Tribune, remembered Fluker as the "happiest, life-affirming man."

Fluker, a graduate of Berkeley High School, joined the Tribune as an intern and was later hired as a freelance photographer.

In addition to photography, Fluker had an engineering career and was into bicycling and fitness, Lammers said.

A few months ago, Lammers said, Fluker was biking through his neighborhood and stopped by his Oakland home, and the two caught up for about half an hour.

He said Fluker's daughter, Dominique, had graduated from high school in the Bay Area and was off to Spellman College in Atlanta, Ga.

Lammers said Fluker was a "very good father" who had often brought his daughter to the Tribune offices and would tell everyone about her soccer,
softball or ballet achievements as a young girl.

Robert Gammon, co-editor at the Oakland-based East Bay Express weekly newspaper, said Fluker worked as a freelance photographer for the paper from 2001 to 2007.

Oakland police are working to track down suspects and more information about the shooting.

Bay City News contributed to this report.

The Bay Area News Group posted some of Fluker's photos online.