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Jarin Purvis, 28, of Castro Valley, California, was killed on April 28, 2020. He was a graduate student at California State University East Bay and worked at Apple. On the night he died he was at an apartment on Redwood Court when a gun handled by acquaintance James Joseph Vega discharged and struck Purvis in the face.
Authorities initially reported the shooting as an accidental self-inflicted wound, but later investigation found inconsistencies in witness statements. Court records say Vega confessed to accidentally shooting Purvis while manipulating the firearm; witnesses at first claimed Purvis shot himself while playing with the gun. Vega, 32, was arrested and charged with murder and held on $200,000 bail. The Alameda County District Attorney later reduced charges from murder to involuntary manslaughter, a decision that Purvis’ parents, Patricia Harris and James Purvis, strongly oppose. The family say Vega was not a close friend, that he posed a threat, and that he attempted to dispose of Jarin’s body in Oakland.
Does anyone have additional details about the Redwood Court apartment or the timeline that night?