Man who allegedly gunned down 2 people at Vallejo encampment captured: VPD

VALLEJO, Calif. (KRON) — A man was apprehended in San Francisco 10 days after he allegedly killed two people at a large Vallejo homeless encampment.

Eddie Charles Sample, 45, of Vallejo, went on the run following a May 26 double homicide, investigators said. Police said three victims were shot, including two men who died at the scene from gunshot wounds.

Vallejo Police Department detectives identified Sample as the prime suspect. “On June 4, the U.S. Marshals Service conducted a successful operation on the unit block of Cravath Street in San Francisco. As a result of the operation, Sample was apprehended. Sample was subsequently booked into the Solano County Jail for murder,” VPD wrote.

One of the double homicide victims, 44-year-old Billy Hinkle, had lived at the encampment near Sacramento Street and Austin Creek with his wife for several years.

In the days leading up to the killings, a man lingered around the encampment, taunted people with a gun, and fired his gun toward mobile homes, sources told KRON4. Hinkle and his friend confronted the man over safety concerns, Hinkle’s family members said. The man responded by shooting both of them, family members said.

Officers with the Vallejo Police Department, Solano County Sheriff’s Office, Napa Police Department, and California Highway Patrol Air Unit swarmed the scene. “Patrol officers located three adult males, all suffering from at least one gunshot wound. When medical personnel arrived, they pronounced two of the male victims deceased at the scene,” VPD wrote.

Hinkle’s widow said he was shot in the head. She said she regrets that they were never able to land back on their feet, and off the streets, together, before Hinkle was violently killed.

“So many days, and months, and years, were just wasted. We told our sons, you know, give mom and dad one year to get our s**t together, OK? And, it’s been going on 10 years,” the widow told KRON4.

Law enforcement officials have not released the second homicide victim’s name.

While Sample was still at-large, Vallejo police obtained an arrest warrant and asked the U.S. Marshals Service for help to capture him “due to public safety concerns,” police said. He was found and arrested at 55 Cravath Street in San Francisco, Solano County jail inmate records show.

Sample was booked into jail for two counts of murder, violating his parole, and evading police. As of Thursday morning, the felon was being held behind bars without bail.