Richard E. Schindewolf (40) may have been the victim of a robbery. The father to a small daughter and two adult stepsons, married for 13 years to Barbara, was shot dead outside a trucking school where he worked in East Oakland, California.
His body was found around 1230 AM on April 6, 1989 in the parking lot next to “Transportation Careers of America” on the 800 Block of 98th Avenue. How long he had been dead is unclear. Nobody heard or saw anything.
Schindewolf had finished his instructor’s class and would be teaching the next week. He left the school around 11 PM. His car was less than 100 feet away. He was shot at least twice. No further information about in which bodypart he was shot, from what distance, the trajectory, the bullet’s caliber, or that a gun was found nearby. What was the official cause of dead?
He was found by a security guard who went to check an open gate. Whether there was already CCTV is unclear. But then, how did the security guard know that a gate was open? A sensor? A camera? A phone call from someone? When the guard saw Richard, did they check for a pulse, see anything, immediately called for an ambulance, etc.?
The papers mention that it appeared that Schindewolf had struggled with his attacker(s) so I gather that he had defensive wounds on his hands, face, and/or arms. It would be interesting to know if we still have his fingernail clippings to examine for DNA.
Police are not sure if anything was taken from either his person or any items that he was carrying. So, random or targeted robbery? Was his car broken open? There is very little online about this case.
Richard served in the US Army but there are no further details. His family still wonders what happened.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the Oakland Police Department at (510) 238-7950.
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In the series “Case of the Month” I highlight old cold cases. These posts are not an in-depth analysis and of course, more information can be found online and in newspaper archives.
We need to get these cases back in the mainstream media, to get people talking again, and if anything, to make sure that we do not forget the victims. Just because their cases are unsolved does not mean that we can forget about them.
I encourage you to share this post on your own social media platforms. By sharing these posts, the cases reach new networks, new connections, and new news feeds. Maybe one day these updates will pop up in the right person’s news feed. This may be someone who can actually help advance the case and that is my goal.
Rest in peace, Richard E. Schindewolf.