50k reward offered for information on El Cerrito lawyer’s killing

An anonymous donor is offering $50,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the fatal shooting of a lawyer in front of his El Cerrito home last month.

James Gilliland Jr., 62, was shot just before 9 p.m. on Oct. 27.

Responding officers found him on the porch of his home in the 2600 block of Mira Vista Drive and he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

Investigators have yet to identify a suspect in the case.

“We hope this reward will encourage anyone with information to immediately come forward,” El Cerrito police said in a statement today. “We have not yet established a motive. We have not yet obtained any information about who has committed the crime.”

Gilliland worked in the San Francisco office of the Atlanta-based law firm Kilpatrick Townsend and Stockton LLP. He was a partner who had also served as chairman of the firm’s litigation department.

“Jim Gilliland was such a positive force of nature,” the firm’s managing partner Susan Spaeth said in a written statement. “Whoever is responsible for this heinous crime needs to be brought to justice.”

Investigators are reviewing private security video but don’t yet know if any of the images can help them identify a suspect, according to police.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact El Cerrito police at (510) 215-4400, investigations@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us or by leaving a voicemail at (510) 215-4414, ext. 40.

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