BERKELEY, CA – The Berkeley Police Department announced significant progress in its investigation into a shooting that occurred on October 12, 2025, in the 1000 block of Addison Street.
Police responded around 6:19 p.m. to reports of gunfire following an altercation between a group of people on the street. According to investigators, surveillance footage and witness statements identified the suspected shooter as 44-year-old Ernest Portlock, who allegedly fired a handgun into a residence before fleeing in a white Honda SUV driven by 41-year-old Lanika Connors.
Automated License Plate Reader cameras helped identify the suspect vehicle, which was registered to Connors. Detectives later learned that Portlock had traveled to Jamaica. In coordination with the San Francisco Police Department Airport Division, officers arrested him at San Francisco International Airport on October 24 when he arrived back in the United States. Connors was arrested in Berkeley on October 27 after her vehicle triggered an ALPR alert.
The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office charged Portlock with multiple felonies, including shooting at an occupied dwelling, negligent discharge of a firearm, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, and criminal possession of a firearm while masked. Connors was charged with shooting at an occupied dwelling, negligent discharge of a firearm, and accessory charges.
Both suspects remain in custody in Alameda County.
