Man enters plea deal in death of Hayward police Sgt. Scott Lunger
Mark Estrada convicted of first-degree murder for fatally shooting Hayward PD Sgt. Scott Lunger during predawn 2015 traffic stop.
OAKLAND, Calif. - An Oakland man entered a plea deal Tuesday with Alameda County prosecutors that may send him to prison for at least 50 years for killing Hayward Police Sgt. Scott Lunger in 2015.
Prosecutors said Mark Estrada, just 21 years old when he shot Lunger, was convicted of first-degree murder for the shooting on July 22, 2015.
"We hope that this conviction and his sentencing will bring a sense of closure and justice for Sergeant Lunger's family, friends, his law enforcement colleagues and the community," Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley said in a statement.
Lunger was on patrol when just after 3 a.m. he saw a Chevrolet Silverado traveling erratically near Myrtle and Lion streets. Lunger stopped the truck and approached it after another officer had arrived.
Estrada fired three shots at Lunger as Lunger approached, hitting Lunger in the head and leg, prosecutors said.
Hayward P.D. Sgt. Scott Lunger was fatally shot by an Oakland man in 2015.
Estrada got out of the truck and ran as the backup officer fired at him. Estrada was arrested later in the day.
In his plea, Estrada admitted to using the gun that killed Lunger. Estrada is expected to be sentenced March 18 in Alameda County Superior Court before Judge Don C. Clay.
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The plea deal reached Tuesday is one week before Estrada's trial was to begin. Estrada was on trial in 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic caused a mistrial.
Lunger is the father of two daughters and was on the police force for 15 years when he died.